Strange Encounters
by side-fish
Summary: A year after his inclusion, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde became one of the, if not the most effective duo, in the entire police force. Armed with the ideals and principles of making the world a better place, they seemed unstoppable. They would be there for each other no matter what. Then one day, she just… disappeared… without a trace.
1. The Disappearance of Judy Hopps

A/N: So I was forced to watch Stranger Things on Netflix a week ago. Was really not interested at first. Not really in to those weird things (sort of). After binge-watching the entire show, I thought it was… just ok.

But it did leave me with an interesting fanfic idea. I took a few ideas from the show and this is what I came up with. Enjoy :).

* * *

Strange Encounters

Prologue: The Disappearance of Judy Hopps

It had been a year since Nick Wilde's inclusion into the force. By this time, their teamwork had reached a certain dynamism that was unparalleled from prior ZPD partners, not even Bogo and whoever his partner was back then. They were just a natural, two sides of the same coin.

Bogo almost felt envious of their talent. Almost. With record cases solved, record suspects apprehended, record… parking tickets handed out, crime was at an all-time low. If there was any great moment to be a police chief, now would be that time. And with everything that has been done, who cares if he had the most energetic bunny and the most hands-on fox for a duo. He was riding the waves of these two mammals.

And maybe she was right. We can make the world a better place, especially if we start with ourselves. If some farm girl from Bunnyburrow can bring change with her infectious enthusiasm, then those living in the city can obviously do better. Judy Hopps somehow showed that you do not need to be a politician to make Zootopia make a change. And perhaps that was what made Judy Hopps well-loved by its citizens. She would get the occasional greeting from a passerby or two.

She was mostly seen with Nick. Obviously, they were partners. They always kept it professional at work. Outside of work, there was something else. As time grew, they grew into each other, but it was Nick who first caved in and admitted his feelings for her. The feeling was mutual and Nick was happy she felt the same way.

They finally made the big step of moving into one apartment. There were the initial adjustments, but everything seemed to sort itself over time. And that was Nick's one year in the ZPD. He had an honest job and he had a life partner. To Nick, life could not get any better than this.

Then one day, she just… disappeared… without a trace.

* * *

Nick and Judy responded to a 10-90 in the Rain Forest District. A 10-90 is code for suspicious mammal. A volunteer neighborhood watch had noticed a mammal, almost fully covered. The mammal had a trench coat, shades to conceal his or her eyes, and a fedora hat, telltale signs of a mammal who did not want to be identified. What the neighborhood watcher could identify though was that the suspicious mammal was fairly large and had a tail, indicating the mammal was probably of feline descent. Now of course in Zootopia, this attire was normal, except for the fact that he has been seeing the said mammal for the past week. His instincts told him the mammal was up to no good, and while it was prejudice to have someone be checked by police because he or she was a predator, the entire set-up seemed pretty suspicious.

That's when they approached the supposed place, the suspicious animal realized something was up and started to sprint, heading for the dense foliage. It was not long before it became a full-on foot chase. Hopps, being the faster of the two mammals, went ahead of her partner to catch the culprit. They both agreed that on wild foot chases such as this that Judy go ahead as they could lose their target. Nick would always catch up. He always does.

And while Judy preferred a direct chase, Nick knew the city more than his partner. " _Carrots, go on. I know a shortcut. I can surprise him on the other end._ " He radioes in. At this point, Nick was no longer within ear shot. He was still visible, but a little way back. And soon enough, he takes a detour and disappears in the trees and vines.

"Right Nick. Take care." Judy radioes while sprinting to his target.

" _I should be the one telling you that. You're the one just behind the criminal._ " Nick answers.

"I can take care of myself, Nick, but thanks." She answered.

Judy continued to chase, her eyes locked on the escaping fugitive. Despite her best efforts, however, the suspicious feline is fast. She forms a list of fast feline predators from the back of her mind, but the yellow spotted tail of the feline narrowed it down to a cheetah. Oh great, she thought. She is chasing the fastest land-mammal in the world. She had been so used to that overweight cheetah at the precinct one reception area, she had forgotten that Clawhauser is an exception, not the norm. A slight burst of laughter escaped her lips at the thought of the cheetah. Although, in her time in the ZPD, she had never had to chase down a cheetah.

There's a first in everything I suppose, she thought.

Yet she cannot help but feel something from the back of her mind that something was out of place. This supposed cheetah was running from her, probably on the presumption of being arrested, but can she? Despite her suspicions, the mammal has done no wrong. She cannot just simply arrest her. She probably may not need to arrest the mammal, but she does need an explanation from whoever he or she is.

She was right on the behind the cheetah's tail when something blocks the mammal's path. True to his word, Nick catches up and manages to block the cheetah's path causing him or her to stop.

"Not so fast!" Nick yells out. He follows it with taking out his tranquilizer gun and aims it toward the mammal. It was surrounded. The sides is part of a cliff-edge, the left going downhill, while the right going uphill. There are only two ways to escape: forward and backward. The mammal looks behind to see that the rabbit bunny was now just behind her.

"What took you so long, Fluff?" Nick replies with his half-lidded eyes and that annoying grin.

"Shut up, Nick." Her attention focuses on the trapped cheetah. Judy takes a good look at the feline before her. Based on the cheetah's build, he is in fact male. "Sir… Stand down. We just want to talk."

The cheetah, seeing as he was surrounded, raised his paws in the air. Satisfied with his cooperation, Judy approaches the mammal closer.

Just then, the cheetah runs to the side which led to the cliff edge and simply jumps. Nick and Judy run after the cheetah, just stopping before the edge.

To their surprise, the cheetah managed to land at the ground, although the fall had taken a toll on him. They can see the mammal limping away towards some abandoned warehouses.

"Well, Carrots. Proof that cats land on their feet." Nick looks at his partner only to see her backing away from the cliff. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She began stretching her joints.

"Whoa whoa whoa! You're not seriously considering jumping, are you? You saw that cheetah. He broke his leg."

"Makes for an easy catch. Just make sure to call the station for back-up." She begins sprinting.

"Carrots! Wait."

But it was too late. The bunny had made the jump. Using a technique taught in the academy to dissipate energy, she begins to make rolls mid-air. She landed on the ground rolling sideways, translating some of the downward energy horizontally until all her momentum dissipates. She made it and without a scratch.

"See you on the other side, Slick!" She yells before disappearing in the bushes.

It was the last he'll ever hear from her again.

* * *

Judy continues her sprint to reach an abandoned warehouse complex. She had lost her trail of the cheetah, though considering his injuries, she knows she is not far off. She was getting close.

Perhaps too close.

It was not until she is way in the complex that she realized that she was truly alone… with a criminal… a predator.

"Stop that." She says to herself. "Just remember your training and everything will be alright." She assures herself. And she knows back-up is on her way. Nick has never let her down.

 _Judy_.

Her fur stood on ends at the mention of her name. She had not expected that. She was not expecting back-up to arrive so soon. And yet, no sirens are blaring from the distant. There was no chatter on her radio.

Could Nick have come and followed?

"Nick?" She calls out on her radio, only to get no response.

She stops for a moment, contemplating if she should wait here until back-up arrives. The suspect was within the perimeter and would probably be hiding here. Just then, a thought occurred to her, could it be possible she heard the cheetah.

 _Of course not_! She never met him until moments ago. "M-must've been the wind."

 _Ahhh!_

She heard a blood-curling scream that startles her out of her wits. It sounded feminine.

Yet, the cheetah is a male. Odder still, was that the scream seemed faintly familiar.

Her legs trembled, realizing that she should not have gone solo. "Pull yourself together, Judy." Being a mammal of law, she had to pursue the source of this scream, which was not the suspect, yet it was oddly familiar.

She slowly came inside the abandoned warehouse. True enough, the place was abandoned to the point the inside is almost vacant. Almost.

A lightbulb shines in the middle of the warehouse, its light casting its glow on what appeared to be a young fox facing against her. He has a rather large build for his age and a hair style that seems like his bangs were combed from the middle to the side and wearing overalls like a familiar… fox?

"Gideon?"

The kid turns around to face Judy with malice in his eyes. "Well look who's come back for seconds."

"T-that's not possible." Judy muttered.

"I know what you did, Gideon Grey!" Judy looked back only to see a younger version of herself. "I saw you beat Sharla outside of school! Quit being a bully and pick on someone your own size!" The younger bunny replies with confidence.

The fox laughs as he approaches the small bunny. "Are you still playing the hero cop, dumb bunny?"

"Why don't you come a little closer and I'll show you who's dumb?"

"No. Run away!" Judy screams. "He's gonna pummel you!"

Judy's warnings fall on deft ears as a swipe of the fox's paw seemed to catch the bunny out of surprise. Soon enough, she was on the ground, her head pinned down by the fox's paw. "Nice try, bunny, but I'm not falling for that again."

"Let go! Let me go, Gideon Grey!"

"Not until I'm done with you, bunny." Gideon unsheathes his claws. "It's time to turn the other cheek, little missy."

"Let me go! Let me go!" The young bunny yelled, struggling to be free from Gideon's grip. "Help!"

"No use cryin' for help now. You gonna git what you deserve!"

Little Judy tries her hardest. She focuses hard on her head to scream. "I said. Let… me… GO…!"

"What the?" Without warning, Gideon is pushed away from the little bunny, pulled by an unseen force. Gideon Grey disappeared to where ever.

Judy's legs trembles, paralyzed in fear. This is not real. This is not possible. Incomprehensible. All these things she said in her mind. Spooked out by this vision, Judy realized she'd had enough. "That's it! I gotta get out of here."

She quickly turns the other way, not wanting to listen to any more of this, but not before she was stopped by something.

 _Come with me_ … _Judy Hopps._

The lone lightbulb flickers on the inside. It continued on for about a minute until light goes back to glowing continuously. Meanwhile the faint sound of sirens can be heard approaching the warehouse complex. Soon enough, forces of the ZPD arrives at the scene with Chief Bogo and Nick in the lead.

"Fan out! I want every room to be checked and cleared. We won't leave until we find the suspect and Judy Hopps!" Chief Bogo yells. The chief looked his side, the fox beside him tense.

"I don't get it, Chief. She's not responding to our hails." Nick replies, holding the radio on his paw.

"Don't get tense, Wilde. We just got here. I'm sure she's alright. She's probably apprehended this suspect already."

"Sir!" Officer Wolford yells on the other end of the warehouse. "We found something."

The two wastes no time to approach the wolf. Once they were near him, Wolford lifts a few items that sends chills down Nick's spine.

"Her radio." Bogo answers.

"And her tranq gun!" Nick calls out.

"Let's not make any assumptions yet, Wilde. We still haven't check- Wilde! Come back here!" Chief Bogo orders as the fox officer made his way outside.

"Carrots?" He calls out, searching for his friend outside the warehouse. "Hopps!"

The fox overheard that the entire facility had been searched clear. There was no sign of the cheetah nor the bunny. His bunny.

It was official. Officer Judy Hopps, the hero of the Nighthowler case, the woman he had just shared a relationship with, is missing.

"JUDY!"


	2. Mysterious Sighting over Saw Hill

A/N: Now we're getting to the start of the story. I actually enjoyed writing this chapter. I love a good thriller. I hope you guys enjoy reading this.

* * *

Chapter 1: Mysterious Sighting over Saw Hill

1 year later…

Clearwater Creek… North of Zootopia…

7:00 am

The alarm of his alarm clock sounds off to signal the start of a brand new day. The first thing he did after getting out of bed was to look at the mirror in the bathroom. His green eyes have not adjusted yet, but just as he expected, his red fur was all messy. A proper shower is in order.

After doing his morning rituals, he heads down to get breakfast. A slice of blueberry pie, courtesy of the grocery store at the town square in Clearwater, awaits him at the table. He had it waiting in a small box, ready to be eaten.

He turns on the television at the living room and decides to eat in front of it like the fox always does. It was a habit he had developed back in the city days. Unfortunately, it was not going to be like any other day. The television's reception is apparently intermittent and unclear. This puzzled the fox as it was working just fine yesterday. However, it does not take long for him to easily deduce that it must be the antenna that's broken again. And he has no spares in his storeroom.

The fox sighed. It appears he will have to go back to the town.

He opens the front door and hurriedly exits the house. Before he could get in to his car, he looks at the town and took a deep breath. The view from here is scenic, with a mist forming at the town itself. He always found the picturesque view calming. It also helps that he is the only resident in this side of the river. Clearwater's main town was just across the river, visible within view. But to get to the town square, one has to enter by the bridge and traverse Lambley road, named after the town where the road was headed.

The town of Clearwater was named after its meandering body of water, Clearwater Creek. The creek coils through the town like a snake, cutting the entire town in half. A short deck slab bridge was the only means of getting from the town center to the south side of town. The town is an intersection of three arterial roads: Lambley road heading from the center of town to the west, National road traversing from north to south, the southern side heading to Zootopia, and Cascade pass, which headed east to the Cascade mountain ranges.

The red fox wastes no time getting into his car, a 25-year-ish old red sedan, though checking his fuel gage, he realized his tank is almost out of gas. No worries, there is a gas station just at the intersection of the dirt road and Lambley road. Once it was started and the engine heated, he made his way there.

He stopped his sedan over one of the service station, seeing a deer servicing a police vehicle on the adjacent service station. The police vehicle began to lower the passenger window, revealing a moose in the driver seat. He wore his shades, puzzling the fox. The sun had barely come out, and moose are not as sensitive to light as other predatory animals. The fox just thought it to be preference. The moose clearly wanted to talk to the fox so he lowered his windows.

"Mornin', Mr. Redford." The moose greets.

"Chief Rasmoossen, I see you're gassing up for a full tank."

"It's going to be a long day. We've been hearing reports of strange… occurrences happening around town."

"Strange occurences?" The fox echoes. "That's pretty generic to be a cause of concern."

"It's got some of the locals spooked up. Some thought they saw… something. Possibly a mammal of some sort."

"That hardly sounds strange if you ask me." The fox replies.

"Oh, it gets better. I've already asked Mike and Antoine to search Saw Hill. The owner of the sawmill there, Mr. Canucks, was reporting strange things happening in his mill. Lights flickering, the power saw coming to life despite the fact that he shut the main power at night."

"Golly, you'd think you'd expect something like that from a cemetery. Are we dealing with ghosts now?"

"I doubt it, but maybe we oughta start prayin' more for good measure. I don't fancy you to be one of the religious types."

"'Fraid so, chief. Left my faith of a higher being back in the city." He says rather cynically.

The moose lowered his shades to get a better view of the fox on the other vehicle. "Listen Redford, you and I are friends. Whatever happened in the past stays in the past. It's time to move on. I know about your record and what happened to you in Zootopia, but she-"

"Getting a little personal there, chief." The fox answers back to the moose.

The moose backs down, and no longer thought of continuing the subject. "I see. Anyways, you haven't noticed anything strange in your place, have you?"

"No, sir. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Very well." The moose starts his police car and paid the service deer for the gas. "Take care."

"Tell Mike and Antoine I said hi." Fox replied as the police car sped away to the bridge heading to the town center.

"You know the chief's just looking out for all of us."

The fox looked at the deer, who was now servicing his car. "Yeah. I know, Carol."

* * *

After gassing up, Redford gave a goodbye to the deer as he made his way in to town, the supply shop to be exact. Located at the end of Lambley road, Jacob Ramstein's supply depot is the only shop that supplies any sort of hardware, which includes but not limited to construction, electronic, power, security, hunting… you name it.

The bell located above the door rings, signaling a ram with a rather large build for his species of a potential customer. He continues to read a local periodical, not lowering his paper to see who it is that entered, but the sound of fox paws clicking on the floor gave the shop owner a hint.

"Well well well, if it ain't Robert Redford. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah. Well I wouldn't be here today if I didn't need something from you, Jacob." The fox answers as he begins looking around.

The ram finally lowers his papers and greets the red fox with a smile. "I can always count on you to be a good customer. Honestly getting sick of all these window shoppers."

"I'm looking for a new antenna. My old one seems to be busted."

"Well… with all the weird things that's been happening lately, I wouldn't be surprised."

The fox looks at the ram curiously. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's not all window shoppers for me actually. Just the other day, Mr. Furfrans came here to have his car radio checked. And did you hear about the saw mill?" Ramstein asks.

"I did actually. Bumped into the chief at the gas station. He's got a long day ahead of him." The fox answers as he finally found the item he was looking for.

"No doubt." The ram inspects the item. "That will be fifty bucks."

The fox pulls out a fifty dollar bill out of his wallet and give the money to the ram. "Here you go."

"Say Robert." The ram motions him to go to the counter, just where the computer is located. "I want to show you something." He then pivots the screen so that the monitor is facing both of them. "Check this out." On the monitor displayed a photo of himself, he motions the mouse to click a slider. The effect is almost immediate, the portrait soon begins to age. "Age-predicting software. Just bought it from Llamazon. Ain't it something?"

"Right…" The fox approaches the front door. "If you'll excuse me, I have a date in a while and her name is _amber_."

* * *

"Bottom's up." Redford lifts a shot glass full of Honey Mustard, a special mead produced in the adjacent town of Lambley. It's motto: Funny name. Special taste. He keeps the alcoholic beverage in his mouth, savoring the taste before swallowing, while he sits comfortably over the table counter.

"You know, Redford. What's the point of me enjoying your day off when you come here anyway?" The bartender, a badger named Fig Whitetail, replies.

"Well, you know what they say, Fig. Misery loves company. Besides, my antenna's busted. Went to Ramstein's to get a spare, so may as well just stay in town a bit longer before I head back, right?" The fox pours another round of mead to the shot glass. The badger looks at the red fox and sighs, grabbing something in a drawer that just so happens to be conveniently placed there.

"I'm afraid you need a visit from _Aunt Oxy_." The badger replies.

Redford notices the badger pull out a syringe. "Already?" The red fox protests.

"You know the rules, Red. Mead is way above the alcoholic tolerance for foxes. As the owner of the establishment, I have the responsibility to administer a glutathione-vitamin C solution intravenously before I can let you walk out. I am liable if your intoxication leads to your injury or death."

The red fox sighs in defeat. "Speciest." The badger prepares the syringe, only for the fox to grab it from his paw. "I can handle it myself. Thank you very much."

The badger simply shrugs. "Suit yourself."

Without much thought, Robert prep'd up his arm and administered the solution to himself. The solution is one of the quickest ways to reduce the effects of hangover or even prevent it from beginning depending on whether you administer it before or after the consumption of alcohol.

The door rings while he is administering the solution, immediately getting a surprise at the new entrants by the door.

"Red, I heard you were looking for us."

The red fox looks to see two grey wolves in police uniform come in, already recognizing the faces of the two. "Mike, Antoine. For a moment, I thought you guys were trying to avoid me." He smiles.

"We wanted to." Antoine Growlino winks. "Unfortunately, we're here for official business."

"We're here to talk with Mr. Canucks, whom we've accompanied here." Mike Chompson adds.

The badger bartender and the red fox look toward a beaver beside the two officers. The beaver just placed his black fedora hat and tan-colored trench coat at the coat hanger. He wore a business outfit complete with longsleeves and a checkered tie and everything. "A little overdressed, aren't we Mr. Canucks?" Fig asks.

"Well, the weather's been a little crazy lately, Fig." Mr. Canucks replies. It was a little amazing that everyone almost knew each other in this small town.

"Speaking of crazy, we heard what happened at your sawmill." Redford answers.

"Yeah. Well, everyone's been talkin' about it actually."

"I suppose you're enjoying your moment of stardom." Redford smiles.

The beaver chuckles. "Heavens, no. Not one bit. I'm a businessmammal, Red. All this hullabaloo is spooking my workers as well as my clients."

"I see. Well good luck with that, Mr. Canucks." Red replies.

The police officers and the beaver take a seat. The red fox and the badger could not help but listen in on the conversation.

"So we've been conducting patrols since yesterday. We've noticed nothing suspicious so far." Mike explains.

"And we can't be always around 24/7 to accommodate your request." Antoine adds.

"The police force is severely understaffed and calling in additional help from other counties will take a lot of resources from our budget. That said, the town is not ignorant of the contributions of your factory in providing jobs to the townsfolk. Chief's words, not mine."

"Well, tell the chief that it warms my heart that he's taking my request seriously despite police's limited resources, but what do you propose I do, officers?" the beaver asks.

"Antoine and I have been thinking. You basically have two options. One would be that we set up a neighborhood watch in your property."

"The patrols will be daily, managed by either Officer Growlino or I."

"And what is the next option?" The beaver inquired.

"Setting up a surveillance system." Mike answers.

"Now we know you've been told that surveillance was optional back when you were securing the necessary permits due to the relative safety of the town, but setting up a camera system isn't as expensive as it was years ago." Antoine explains.

"Consider it as an investment, Mr. Canucks. It will provide you peace of mind." Mike adds.

"Perhaps it's about time. And how many mammals have you enlisted in this neighborhood watch?" Mr. Canucks asks.

"Well…" Mike trails off.

"We were planning on enlisting mammals later, but we intend to start the watch tomorrow."

"Well, god speed to you two." The beaver stands up approaching the entrance door to grab his coat and hat. "I hope you don't mind me cutting our meeting short, but I have other things to attend to."

"We understand, Mr. Canucks." Mike replies.

"Thank you, gentlemammals." The beaver looks by the badger and the red fox. "Red. Fig." The beaver greets one more time before finally parting.

The two wolves begin to slouch. It seemed clear from their body language that they are exhausted.

"I couldn't find sleep yesterday. You?" Mike asks.

"Same." Antoine replies. "Paws are killing me from all that walking we did."

"You guys seem pretty beat." Fig says while trying to clean a shot glass with a cloth. "Maybe you guys oughta take it easy."

Mike pushes the table with his feet, causing the chair to pivot. He let his head rest while he stared at the ceiling. "Wish we could, but it's part of the job description, plus the fact that we're understaffed."

"Chief's really counting on us on this one." Antoine adds.

"Well… I can't believe I'm saying this then." Redford starts. "But I suppose we can help out in your neighborhood watch tonight."

Fig stares at the fox while continuing with his cleaning. "By we, you mean just you, right? Or is this the mead talkin'?"

"Come on, Fig. We'd be doing the town some good. Besides, got nothing better to do today."

"Don't Fig me. Don't forget I am your employer." The badger replies, feeling annoyed.

"We could use all the paws we can get though." Mike says.

"Yeah. We could use this opportunity to start a dry run. It would certainly be helpful for tomorrow." Antoine added.

"Come on, _Mr. Whitetail_. A little extra civic duty wouldn't harm anyone." Redford asks in a pretentiously yet playful manner.

The badger rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say, Red."

"Then it's settled then. Meet us at the sawmill folks."

The badger sighs looking at the red fox. "I can't believe you drag me in to this."

The fox gives out a sheepish smile. "What can I say? Misery loves company."

* * *

Hours had passed since they first came to the sawmill at Saw Hill. The light had dimmed and the clouds had fully covered the sky. There was no doubt it was going to rain. As of this moment, there were only four mammals on watch, but considering the two wolf cops had tire themselves the night before, it was decided that one of them get the chance to have some shuteye. After a game of rock-paper-scissors (best of three), it was decided that Antoine would be the lucky wolf to stay in the police car and take a nap. Mike will lead the dry run tonight, while Antoine will lead the main party the night after.

The three make their walk in and around the mill and they had done so several times for hours.

"Is something supposed to happen?" Redford finally asks after what appears to be an uneventful search.

"Well, that's what we're here for, Red. Just hope we didn't scare whoever's behind all this." Mike replies.

"Shouldn't that be a good thing though?" Fig asks.

"Yeah, you can say that. Just that if we catch this perp or whatever, we can stop this here and now. If we scared it, it just means a few more nights of patrolling."

"You know you guys are nocturnal, right." Fig argues.

"I don't think I forgot mentioning the part where we didn't get any sleep." Mike replies. "Almost jealous of Antoine, but the main search will be a lot more hectic than today."

The thunder suddenly rumbles through the night sky, signaling the party of an imminent rain shower.

"Oh lucky… if it does rain, we can call-off the search for the night."

…

Elsewhere, Antoine continues to sleep peacefully at the passenger side of the squad car. The clash of thunder and lightning seemingly have fallen on deaf ears. His mind already deep in slumber, unaware of his surroundings… including a small figure watching just behind the glass window. It looked at the peaceful wolf in his sleep… until the small figure's eyes glowed an eerie white.

…

The sound of droplets falling meant that the rain had come and it looks to be a big storm coming. Mike gets the attention of the other two companions. "It looks like I'll be cutting this neighborhood patrol short. The rains look to becoming worse later."

"It's a shame. Really was expecting something to come up." Redford replies.

"I appreciate you guys coming here, especially on your free time." Mike says.

"Well, what are we waiting for, guys? Let's head back to the car." Fig answers.

"Oh, Fig, you can ride with us. We're heading back to the south side of town." Mike offers.

"I'll take your offer, Mike." The badger looks to the red fox. "You take care now, Red."

"Same. I'll see you at work tomorrow." Redford replies back as he walks away.

The two made their way back to the squad car. They will head south while Redford will drive north. Although they did not park far from the saw mill, the strengthening rain was making it hard to see, even with their natural night-vision abilities. Visibility had gone down to a few meters.

"Over there." Mike points out, seeing their squad car into view. The timberwolf and the badger waste no time running toward the car. Mike then grabs the keys from his pocket and opens the car door. Once Mike and Fig were inside, Mike could not help but shake off the wetness off his fur. The spray of water stirs the other wolf to consciousness.

"Mike! What the heck, dog!" Antoine yells.

"Sorry, Antoine. It's just that it's been raining really hard." Mike explains.

"It's raining?" Antoine asks.

"Don't tell me you slept through the rain. You must be one heavy sleeper." Fig replies.

"No I don't." Antoine replies defensively. "I just… had this strange dream."

* * *

Redford was now driving his way downhill north, though he would still have to pass by the town center before he can go to Lambley road, then pass the bridge to his house. Unfortunately, the rains had made the path all muddy and slippery, making him slowdown to about half the speed he would normally use on this route.

His ears folded against the back of his head. He could not help but feel that there was something watching him. It did not help that he was all alone in his car.

"Perhaps a little radio would calm my nerves." The fox muttered to himself as calm as he could. The radio flicked to life. He then switched it to a channel with some upbeat tunes.

After finally settling on a frequency, he focuses back to driving, but once his eyes had adjusted, a look of horror surprises the fox. His reaction was just quick enough to make a screeching halt in front of the obstacle.

But it was no ordinary obstacle. In front of his vehicle, just a few feet away, is a kit fox. "Impossible." Redford mutters under his breath.

The kit fox smiles at him before a flash of lightning strikes at the distance. The kit fox was gone after.

"No!" Redford yells, unbuckling his seatbelt. He exits the car and goes to the front of his vehicle. With the headlights on and with his nightvision, he tries to see through the rain, but true enough, the kit had disappeared.

Instead, something else has taken its place. The red fox slowly approaches the form who had laid down in a fetal position, its back facing him. It was shivering as it tries desperately to hold its knees with both its paws in an attempt to trap what little heat it had in its body. Coupled with the long black tipped ears and the gray fur, the white gown, Redford had confirmed his suspicions. This was definitely no fox kit.

It's a bunny.

* * *

A/N: Well, that's a wrap. Hopefully, I can give an update for this hopefully the week after. I'm going to be updating my other fics.

Oh yeah, and before I forget, Aunt Oxy is just a nickname I use for anti-oxidant. Just a little trivia, if anybody follows my Death by chocolate fic, well… alcoholic beverage doesn't have to be light. There are ways to detoxify. Anti-oxidants is one of them. What makes a glutathione-vit c solution effective is that it detoxifies the liver. Believe me, I should know. I use to sell these products. The interesting thing about it is that its all natural. Did you know that glutathione is naturally produced by our livers, but this production gradually decreases after the age of 25? This is why people eventually lose their light-color skin unless they glutathione supplements, which can only be injected intravenously or sprayed under the tongue. Glutathione works best with vitamin C, also an anti-oxidant. Unfortunately, glutathione doesn't work with dark-skinned people. Yeah, glutathione can be very racist.


	3. Rabbit of Saw Hill

A/N: Hey guys, just wondering if you guys prefer that I write in the past tense instead of this present tense I've been trying. I usually tend to write my stories in the past tense since writing reports, whether for school or for work, have always been in the past tense so it was kinda natural for me. I heard that some people think that you need to write in the present tense if it's happening in the present is a thing, so I thought of following that. That said, the shift in writing is kinda a bit weird for me.

* * *

Chapter 2: Rabbit of Saw Hill

The storm continues to pound the town of Clearwater. Redford looked at the window. It was strange to him. He had just looked at the same window earlier and saw a pleasant day. With his night-capable eyes, he noticed the storm clouds and the heavy rain impeding the visibility of the town. But that was the least of his problems.

He entered the room and saw the bunny lay still in his bed. It had been an hour since he brought the bunny into his car and into his home. The bunny had passed out somewhere along the journey. The way back however, despite the weather was relatively smooth due to the absence of traffic at this hour. His only worry was the river. On some occasions, heavy rains could cause flash floods. Fortunately for him, the bridge was still passable.

He attempted to replace the bunny's gown with dry cloths, which at this point, he discovered the bunny to be female. Despite it, however, Redford made a point not to take advantage of her. By the looks of it, she's already had it quite rough. That was the curious thing, however, to see some mammal in a hospital gown despite the fact that there was no major hospital for miles. A lot of questions ran through his head, but it would have to wait. For now, he needed to care for the bunny.

Redford placed his paw on the rabbit's head. _Fever_ , he thought. He immediately grabs an ice pack in the closet and heads downstairs to the refrigerator to get ice. He places the ice inside pack. Once all the ice was inside, he rushes himself back upstairs and into his room, placing the ice pack gently on top of the bunny's forehead. Hopefully, this would be enough to cool her head.

A quick glance at the clock revealed it was already past one in the morning. He took note of it and decided to grab a few chairs from downstairs. He lined the chairs up to form a make-shift bed, although it did not look anything like it at all. He lay down on it and closed his eyes. Today had been quite a day.

* * *

5 a.m.

The torrent of rain had finally died down to no more and the morning sky was beginning to show the faint colors of day. The town was slowly getting up to start a new day. Fig was one of the early birds. It was just his business. A diner by day, a bar by night, but drinks are available all through out. It was just the way the town liked it, and quite frankly, that is how he liked it as well. At 5:30, he started checking for inventory. By 6 a.m., the first customers would be arriving. It was only quarter to 6 a.m. Everything was almost as expected… almost.

The phone rings, getting the attention of the badger. He did not expect a phone call at this hour, but at the back of his mind, he had a hunch on who it may be.

" _Hi Fig._ "

"Robert Redford, why am I not surprised? I'm quite curious as to why my employee is calling at this time when he should be here, but I reckon' I already know why." The badger replied.

" _Yeah, I think I had too much mead yesterday._ " The red fox on the other line answers, which earned a slight chuckle from Fig. " _And yes, you're right. I should be there, but I'm feeling under the weather. I'm not making this up by the way._ "

"Don't have ta' explain yourself, mate. It's not like I wasn't there, you know. Workin' with the cops last night definitely takes a toll, but I did warn ya'. Anyway, get some rest."

" _Thanks, Fig._ " The fox replies before putting the phone down.

After the call, Fig goes back to his work, counting inventory and the like when the bell door rings. Disturbed yet again, the honey badger turns his head to the visitors. Two panthers in their fishing gear had entered the establishment. From their looks, they appeared to be not from around here. Clearwater Creek is small town after all. Basically everybody knew everybody.

"You fellas not from here, are ya'?"

* * *

Robert Redford closed down his mobile landline phone, focusing back to a stack of books in the attic. He had rummaged through the pile of boxes, boxes he has not opened for decades.

"Where is it?" He muttered.

He continues on to the next box, scouring over the books, looking for an item he'd long forgotten.

"Why can't I find it?"

It was not until he browsed through several books more until he spots a familiar book. It was an unmarked maroon book. Its spine is hard bound and the pages are thick. He opens the book turning page after page. And then he saw it. He removed the item from a sleeve and held it with his paw.

Just then, the light inside the room began to flicker. Redford puts down the item and goes down the hatch to the second floor. Perhaps it was instinct, but once he climbed down the hatch, he felt uneasy. It was too quiet. He slowly makes his way toward his room. He did not understand why he felt this way. It was just a bunny, and yet the closer he was getting, the more at edge he became. He stops just behind the door. And with one deep breath, he twists the knob to take a peek. Even with the red coat of fur, he turns a shade lighter. His ears had fallen flat against the back side of his head, surprise spreads all over his facial features. The bunny was no longer where he left her. Aside from the pillows and the blankets, there was no one. And yet, he could still feel her presence.

He enters the room with carefully, his ears focusing on the hint of the faintest sound. His ear finally catches something, making the red fox breathe a sigh of relief. The sound was barely audible, but from what he could tell, it almost sounded like whimpers. She was obviously trying to hide herself, and the only logical place he could think of is just behind the closet door.

"Don't be afraid." He calmly declares to the hiding mammal. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He approaches closer towards the door. "It's alright. Do you have a name?" He stops midway to his approach. He notices the white hospital gown he had lazily left on top of the bed. It was a plain white gown. Oddly, it had no patterns whatsoever. A thought occurred to him.

"Are you… sick? Is everything alright?" The fox adds. "I really don't know what you were doing back there… on the hill?"

He could hear her frantic breathing. This was less subtle than moments ago. If Redford did not know it, she was having a panic attack. "Ma'am, please calm down." At this point, Redford made up his mind. He rushes himself to the closet door, determined to see if the bunny was alright. "I'm going to come…"

A loud bang fills the entire room followed by the sound shattered glass, surprising the approaching fox. It momentarily stops his line of thought, focusing instead on finding the source of the sound. It did not take long for him to find the source. Just below the ceiling, a lightbulb had overloaded causing the bulb to explode violently. Thankfully, the bulb failed to catch fire. However, there are glass shards littered the top of the bed with some of the fragments also scattered on the floor. Redford steps back to press the light switch, just to be safe. A fire is the last thing he needs. Once that was done, he returns back to closet door.

It was then that a surge of pain shot through his right foot. He squeals and jerks his leg away from what appeared to be a shard of glass stuck to his main paw pad. He takes a seat just at the foot of the bed, careful this time to avoid any more broken glass. He then inspected his injuries. Paw pads are usually hard enough to resist abrasions. Unfortunately for Redford, the shard was sharp enough to easily make a deep cut. Redford carefully tries to remove the shard. With a swift pull, he was able to remove the shard, but not after making another squeal. Almost immediately after its removal, blood was slowly flowing out of his wound.

"Oh blueberries!" He cursed while gripping his right foot in pain. He immediately limps to the bathroom, wincing in pain along the way, and takes out the first aid kit behind the mirror. To his dismay, he finds some of the medical supplies are missing, particularly the bandages. "Times like these I wish I had neighbors."

Without a second thought, he makes his way out of the bathroom and approaches the bedroom door. "I'm heading to town. Wanna come?" He asked.

His query fell on deaf ears, however, but seriously, she's a rabbit, he thought. "Okay. I suppose I'm gonna leave you alone then." He continues. "Try not to touch anything while I'm gone." He looks to the closet one more time, but the scene is unchanged. The red fox finally decides to close the door, limping his way down stairs with the distinct footsteps of an injured fox.

Unknown to him, the closet door knob starts to turn.

* * *

It was a slow beginning at the Little Creek Bookstore. Referencing the creek the town was named out of, the bookstore sat snuggly beside a grocery store and a shop. A arctic vixen happily arranges books from a recently sealed box. They were new arrivals from the big city and she could not wait to get her paws on them.

The bell door rings, indicating the first visitor of the day. The arctic fox put down the books, she can arrange them for later. She turns towards the door, readying her smile. "Good morning, sir. How may I-" She stops mid-sentence, noticing the red fox before her and the blood-stained paw print at the floor. "Robert! What happened to you?" The white fox immediately rushes to the red fox's aid.

"It's nothing serious, Margaret. Just accidentally stepped on a glass shard is all." Redford explained. "Funny thing, I went to the grocery store next door to get some medical supplies, but wouldn't you know, I forgot my wallet."

"Goodness sake, Robert! You need to be more careful!" Margaret assisted Redford to a room in the back.

Putting him on a couch, she immediately rushes to get medical supplies with her first aid kit. The lack of a clinic in the town meant that every establishment had a first aid kit. It also meant that everyone is a 'doctor' to an extent. Margaret returns back with the kit on her paw. She then inspects the wound. True to Robert's word, the cut is not serious, but it's not nothing by any stretch of the imagination. "Robert, this should've clotted by now. Have you been drinking again?" She asks while readying the bandages.

Robert only returned a sheepish smile. "A little." He answered.

"Again, you really should be more careful, Robert."

Perhaps in this respect, years of alcoholic indulgence has taken its toll on him. A fox's circulatory system was never designed to flush out alcohol effectively. And while a few shots of Aunt Oxy is of immense help, the dosage never quite matches his consumption of liquor, leaving some of the liquid to do its damage. Unfortunately, liquor has the nasty side-effect of lowering one's platelet count.

"You're sounding more like my mothe-" He squealed.

"Oops. I forgot to mention, this may sting a bit." She replies after pouring significant amounts of isopropyl alcohol on his wound.

"Yep. Definitely stings."

"Oh suck it up, Robert."

* * *

The bedroom was left alone in the same condition as when Robert left, the only difference now being the opened closet door. The bunny slowly emerges from within, stopping mere inches from the shard the red fox had stepped. She picks the shard and inspects it closely. She immediately noticed the blood dripping from the glass, still in the process of coagulating, which is a curiosity. She had always thought that blood usually dries up quickly, especially when she does that thing not many mammals could do.

There are a few strands of fur sticking from the glass, no doubt of a red fox's.

Making sure to avoid the glass, she makes her way to the door, out of the bedroom and into the hallway. She had an odd look of fascination as she was walking along, stopping at a wooden table along the hallway to get a feel of the surface. A sniff of the air revealed only the somewhat familiar scent of the fox, indicating that the fox earlier is the only resident of the house.

It was not until it occurred to her that she was hungry that started to go downstairs and into the kitchen. She approaches what appears to be a refrigerator… at least she thinks it to be. She opens the metal door, allowing the cool air to escape. A smile slightly appears on her lips as she notices a box of what appears to be blueberry pie. It was already sliced into eight pieces although one was already missing, obviously eaten by the fox. Without hesitation, she grabs a slice with her paw and shoves it into her mouth. She chews aggressively, having not eaten for God knows how long. It was becoming clear that one slice was not enough. She takes another slice of blueberry pie without second thought. Aside from the pie, there was also a large bottle of blueberry juice, to which she was able to consume about half its contents. The fox sure has a love for all things blueberry.

It was not until the third slice that her hunger had finally been satisfied. After her snack, she continues on to the living room, where she notices a what appears to be a lazy chair. Without any hesitation, she jumps and lands on the chair, stretching her arms and legs. She continues to bounce herself playfully until she notices a black rectangular object at the left arm rest, the object pointing itself towards a large black screen.

Grabbing the object, she pressed the big red button at the front of the object, flicking the screen to life. The television responded with a hazy reception, indicating fox's earlier problem. The bunny looks on to the television, focusing her eyes on the screen as if something would come out of it.

* * *

"I'm just about done." Margaret answers as she finishes stitching up Redford's wound. Margaret then notices that Redford was no longer paying attention to her. Instead, he stares blankly at a photo at his side. It was picture of a two artic foxes, one of who is currently tending his wound. Margaret's ears suddenly folds back, the sight of the picture always bringing her sadness.

"He passed on too soon from me." She replies, bringing the attention of the red fox to him.

The red fox noticed the pale vixen's sudden change of mood. "I'm sorry. It's just… it's really been a while."

"He was always quite fond of you. Always enjoyed your company." Margaret smiled. Margaret begins wrapping his foot with the bandage.

"Five years move so quickly." Redford replies.

"Yeah, well, I suppose I've moved on. Can't always dwell in the past." She tightens the bandage. "Something you need to do."

"And what do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Come on, Robert." She chuckles. "Everyone knows why you hang inside that bar, and you and I both know it's not work."

Redford prepares for a counter argument but ultimately falls silent.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"More like a vixen."

"Imagine if you gave us a chance." Margaret replies. Redford knew what she meant but said nothing. Beneath that playful remark, there was a hint of wishful thinking. Margaret finally made the final touches in bandaging Redford's wound. "And that's a wrap."

Redford tried to move his injured foot. "It's pretty tight." Redford then looks back to the vixen. "Thank you."

Margaret returns the smile with her own. She packs the medical supplies back inside the first aid kit. "You best be off now. I've got a store to manage."

"Of course." Redford replies. "Just one more thing though. Can I borrow some money?"

"You really shouldn't forget your wallet, Robert."

* * *

" _And up and down and up and down, now left and right. Work those muscles ladies!_ "

Blink.

" _where ever your journeys may take you, I hope it's profi-_ "

Blink.

" _and now the weathe-_ "

The bunny was now watching in front of the television, browsing through channels, not necessarily looking for anything in particular to watch, but to see what the big screen has to offer.

Blink.

" _Tired of ordering family-packed vegetables even if you're living by yourself? Tired of having to save them every dinner for five days straight. Well we've got the product for you. Our Veggies for one packaging is what you're looking for. Lettuce-for-one, Yams-for-one, Carrots-for-one_ …"

"Carrots?" She asks no one in particular.

 _Well, Carrots. Proof that cats land on their feet._

"Carrots." She answers with a bit more certainty with her deliberation.

Knock! Knock!

Her focus soon shifts from front door of the house. It would seem that the fox was back from his trip… or so it would seem.

* * *

Redford was grateful to Margaret. He had assured her that he really had money and would be able to pay her soon. And lend money she did. The vixen provided her enough money to buy the groceries and supplies he needed. He wasted no time and marched to the grocery store as fast as his legs could carry him. He could still feel it, but it was much better now that his wound was treated. He went inside and immediately picked up medical supplies as well as food for the bunny. The ewe that owned the shop, looked curiously at the paper bag full of carrots. It was not unheard of for a predator to go vegetarian, but a fox on a carrot diet was unheard of if not rare. He simply shrugged and said his eyesight was getting bad. Funny that he mentioned it considering that his injury was a result of not seeing the glass shard. The ewe did not press any further. The townsfolk are mostly respectful of each other's personal business after all. Sometimes, they would show their concern, but most of the time, they keep it to themselves. If they knew something, Redford was glad he has not heard anything about them yet, especially with what Margaret said and all. Honestly, he felt the townsfolk were a little too nice to him, and perhaps that was just the way he liked it. And with more than twenty years here, he was sure that the town of Clearwater is more hospitable than the overrated city known as Zootopia. If only she agreed to come with her, then perhaps, just maybe, they could have been a happy family here.

Stopping his car in front of the house, he carries the grocery and supplies to the front door, but stops just before it.

Apparently, the door is unlocked and slightly. He could have sworn that he locked it before he left. Could she have left? He opens the front door and sets the grocery bags down on the table. The first thing he noticed once he entered the living room was the television was on, but the reception is still scattered. He had completely forgotten about repairing the television, but that was the least of his worries now. A pair of panthers soon came out of from the kitchen.

"Can I help you?" The red fox asked.

"Are you the homeowner?" One of the panthers responded.

"Yes. That would be me." replied Redford, a feeling of unease began to wash over him as he slowly began to step away backwards.

"Are you alright?" The panther notices the bandage wrapped around his foot.

"Feeling better now." Redford answered as calmly as he could.

The front door then closes. Redford noticed the other panther had locked the door.

"What are you doing?" The fox asks the other panther.

Almost immediately, some sort of metal chain was placed around his neck. It took barely a second for the pull to register. Redford struggles while the panther he just had a conversation with was trying to choke him. The giant predator lifted the small fox up to maximize the choking effect, pressing him against his chest. Redford used his paws to push the chains outward in an attempt to give him room to breathe, but the grip of the panther was strong.

The other panther simply watched him as the life is slowly being snuffed out of his eyes. "Don't fight. Give in." The panther strangling him whispers.

Redford uses his legs in an attempt to scratch him, but unfortunately his position is such that he is facing against him, making his claws less effective.

Redford tries a different approach. The panther's paws was just near enough to be bitten by his teeth, but he needed to be careful less the change in position may crush his throat. Regardless, he needed to act soon. The longer he waited, the more tired he was becoming.

Taking the only chance he has, he shifts his body to grab a bite at the paw choking him. The panther reacts accordingly, yelling in pain as he loosened his grip enough for the red fox to free himself from the chains. He falls down but recovers quickly. Now that he is free, he instinctively bites the leg of the panther. Pushing his fangs as deep as he could, the panther yelps and trips to his feet, causing a mess in the living room and displacing a few things, including the lazy chair.

The panther crawls back as the fox before him approaches baring his fangs to the intruding panther. Much to Redford's dismay, he is pulled back and shoved by the second panther. The fox flies back toward the television. The television falls from its table, but thankfully does not break.

The panther eventually got back to his footing, he looks at the downed fox furiously. Drawing a combat knife, he had had enough of the fox's antics. He slowly limps towards Redford, who lay on the floor.

Already injured, he finds himself with more injuries. Feeling the direness of the situation, Redford tries to push himself away crawling, but is backed by the edge. "W-what did I… do to you?" He asks, stopping between breaths due to exhaustion.

"Where is she?" The panther asks.

A look of dread came to him. He could not be referring to the bunny, could he? "I-I don't know what… you're talking about."

"I can smell her scent all over this place. Tell me where she is and I may spare you?"

"I don't know. She… She may have left. The door was… open when I came." Redford answers weakly.

"Then you are of no use alive." The panther approaches the red fox, knife in place ready to stab.

All Redford could do is close his eyes and wait for his demise. He waited for the blade to stab him or perhaps slice his throat or whatever gruesome death his imagination could come up with. He waited and perhaps regretted too. Redford had a lot of regrets. He was so full of it, that Margaret, Chief Rasmoosen and probably everyone knew why he slaved in that bar. He had stuck in the past way too long.

There was a loud crack and that was it… or at least he thought it was it. And yet, he opens his eyes and finds himself to not be in a worse shape than he already is. There was no knife stab or a slice on his neck. The panther still held the knife in his paw.

But something was off. Redford immediately notices the panther's eyes were no longer focused on him. In fact, his eyes looks barely focused at all. And in a surprising turn of events, blood started coming out from the panther's eyes, muzzle and even his ears. The panther's head twists some more at an odd angle and that was it. The panther drops the knife, kneels down, until the rest of his body falls forwards face flat. The absence of the draw in his breath meant that he was gone. To his surprise, he also notices the other panther is in the same condition as the panther before him. The other panther eventually falls down in the same manner as the first, revealing a figure behind the giant predator.

There was a moment of confusion, but the giant bunny ears gave it away. It was the rabbit. For some reason, she did not leave despite the fact that she had the opportunity to do so. There was also something strange about her. She held her right paw forward in the air while her left paw held the door frame for support. She was breathing heavily while blood was escaping out of her muzzle. She looks at the red fox weakly.

Redford looks back to her, shock still in his eyes from the previous ordeal. It was clear that the two mammals were looking for her, but what he just witnessed was beyond explanation. Somehow, the bunny he saved, though seemingly normal on the outside, is no ordinary bunny.

"Who are you?"

The bunny continues taking heavy breaths while looking at the damage before her. Two panthers lay still and breathless on the ground, the fox lay on his back while staring at her, the entire living room is a mess and the grocery bags and its contents are now scattered on the floor, mostly blueberries and…

"Carrots?" She whispers.

"I'm sorry. What?" Redford asks, confused.

With every bit of concentration, she repeated. "You can call me Carrots." And with that, she collapses to the floor. The last thing she sees is the red fox slowly crawling to her aid before going losing herself into unconsciousness.

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap. Apologies if this took so long. Didn't expect this update to be more than 4k words actually. And despite me having all these ideas and stuff, I actually had a writer's block thinking of commercials and random stuff that Judy was browsing in the TV. And that Carrot's for one commercial really took me a while. I know, the commercial reads out quite bad, but you know what, screw that cause I needed to get this done. If you guys have better Carrots for one commercial ideas, let me know. I may change it. Anyway, just a trivia, the second commercial, I ripped directly out of CNN. For those who watch CNN, you may recognize those words. The third, I directly ripped out of BBC World News. And why is it that ZNN doesn't have CNN anchors? I'd like to see a Christiane Amanpurr or a Blitzer Wolf or a Jeanne Moose :P. But maybe that's another fanfic for another day.

Oh and just so people know, glutathione is not a drug. Anti-oxidants are more likely to be classified as a supplement than a drug. But what are anti-oxidants? Well, the explanation is kinda technical. But basically you need to understand the definition of oxidation. Oxidation is the act of giving an electron like how a Na atom lends Cl atom an electron to form an ionic bond. This bond makes the molecule stable. The same thing happens in the body. Atoms need to have their valence electrons bonded to prevent reaction from atoms coming the body. You don't want these particles to react with molecules that make up your cell… like say your DNA. Anti-oxidants prevent this by making them front-line reducers instead of your body. Moving on, what is the difference of a supplement from a drug you may ask? It's simple actually. Drugs have therapeutic claims. Therapeutic claims mean there are human clinical studies done to prove its efficacy. So no matter how effective a supplement is, if there are no studies about it, its as good as saying that the supplement does not work, which seems counter-intuitive. And it is. This is, in fact, the underlying debate between the use of drugs vs herbal supplements. It does not mean that supplements are bad. In fact, quite the opposite actually. You can't take drugs everyday because of side-effects. Supplements, you can take everyday.

Just so people know, no, I am not a doctor, so yes, you don't have to take my word as gospel truth :).


	4. The Telekinetic

A/N: So this was supposed to be out last week, but I do admit, my ideas kinda slowed down a bit. There were some scenes that I wanted to expand further, but I suppose I'm ready to release this now. I also noticed that my previous chapter wasn't as polished when I posted it, but I have updated them the days after.

I've been pretty bummed the past few days actually. I don't want to go deep into the detail, but I went back to the doctor yesterday to review an X-ray that I had taken the past week and let's just say that the results weren't… good. I now have to go physical therapy for two weeks :(.

But enough of my troubles, on with the story :).

* * *

Chapter 3 The Telekinetic

Two days ago…

Clearwater Creek, West of the South town of Clearwater…

Two panthers were knee-deep in the river.

"I got something!"

The older panther dropped his fishing rod to approach the younger panther. He then clamped his paws to help support the rod. "Just reel'em in!"

The other nodded and begins spinning the handle counter-clockwise. Something was slowly emerging from the other end of the hook.

"It's a big one!"

The fish was not going to give up without a fight though. It continued swimming its hardest, fighting for its life. Finally, after a few more minutes of struggling, the fight was won. The fish was eventually lifted from the water. Two panthers smiled triumphant.

Moments later, the older panther was cooking their catch while the younger was on his phone.

"Sam, you know there's no signal here, right?" The older panther replied.

"You never know, Will." The younger panther, Sam, answered.

"Make yourself useful and get more wood near the car."

Sam nodded, putting his phone in the pocket, and going straight to their vehicle. In the meantime, Will continued to cook the fish. He was satisfied that the scales were turning brown, indicating that the meal was just about ready. However, the heat was getting weaker as the wood used to fuel the flames is almost completely burnt out.

"Sam! What's taking you so long? The fish is getting cold." He waited for a reply but none came. Puzzled and perhaps a bit annoyed by his brother's lack of a response, the older panther turned his attention away and toward the direction of the car, where his brother went. Instead of seeing his brother, something… or someone else was by the car, his eyes concentrating at him.

"Sam?"

…

Present day…

A police car just arrived at the same area and the same side of creek. Chief Rasmoosen took seriously a call regarding campers abandoning their campsite. The chief was well aware of the risks of a potential forest fires and the campsite is really close to the town. Half the town going up in smoke is the last thing he wanted to happen.

But this is where things get strange. The moment the chief stepped out of the vehicle, he knew something was out of place. Garbage is a common safety issue between campers and the local resident, but Chief Rasmoosen could undoubtedly confirm, with the car and the tents and the fish, now spoiled by the environment, this was something else.

He reaches for his radio. "This is Chief Rasmoosen. We have a 10-41, west of South town, Clearwater."

…

Redford just stared at the cold dead eyes of his attacker. With panic still in his system, he tries to slow his breathing. He wanted nothing more than to calm himself as much as possible, but it was difficult considering the circumstance. There are two dead predators and an unconscious bunny. He was more bruised now after taking a beating from the panthers. And yet, he somehow, he had not receive any broken bones. Thank goodness. Then, there was also the fact that he is alive. At that realization, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just moments ago, he could have sworn he was about this close to meeting his maker.

After collecting himself, he crawled his way toward the bunny, his sides aching in pain on the way there. Once he was close enough, he gripped her shoulder and begins shaking her in an attempt to wake her up. "Bunny." The red fox asked. "Wake up." He shakes her even harder.

The bunny finally stirs. Her nose twitches and her eyes were now half-open. All the bunny could see was a red blur, but her eyes were steadily adjusting. She could make out a muzzle, drooping ears, and those strangely familiar green eyes.

 _Carrots._

The fox rests his head over the palm of his paw and gives his signature lazy smirk. The rabbit just looked at him dazed, her eyes slightly unfocused.

 _Are you really just gonna stare at me like the love-struck bunny you are?_

The bunny smiled at him. "Dumb fox."

"I'm sorry, what?" Redford asks.

The bunny finally seemed to come to as her eyesight slowly adjusts to her surroundings. The fox before her looked much older now, his smirk replaced with a concerned look.

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

Her eyes finally focus and everything became much clearer. Her mind has returned back to reality, noticing the two other motionless panthers. She then used her arm to brush the fur on her face, particularly under her muzzle. To her surprise, the fur on her arm was now painted in red. Her expression changed from calm to worry.

"N-No…"

Redford noticed how her expression changed so quickly from calm to horrified.

"No more!" She cried out, grabbing her ears to cover her face. "No more." Her voice was muffled.

Redford never knew the bunny, yet for some reason, he wanted to at least comfort her in some way. "Madame, don't cry." He raised his paw and began to stroke the fur above her head. In a sudden move that caught the fox off-guard, the bunny made a move to embrace the fox. Her arms wrap around his chest, her tears were now soaking his fur. A bunny was hugging a fox. The move surprised Redford. Even if they were living on more civilized times, the act was quite unnatural. Never in his life had he met such a stranger bunny.

 _We've been hearing reports of strange… occurrences happening around town._

The words of Chief Rasmoosen echoed through his head. It did not matter for now. The bunny needed emotional support and he has no problem to provide it. The questions can come later.

…

When the bunny had calmed down, Redford focus immediately shifted to the bodies. Something needed to be done about them. And so, Redford approached a wall-mounted landline phone.

"W-what are you doing?"

Redford looked at the bunny. Her ears fell against the back of her head, her large purple eyes met his green eyes.

Redford put it in mind that he needed the bunny to keep her calm. "I'm going to call the police. Hopefully, we'll find out what all this is about."

The bunny shook her head in response, leaving the fox confused.

"You don't want me to call the police?"

The bunny simply nodded.

The fox drew a sigh. "Ma'am, someone just broke into my house. I need to call the authorities." He explained.

"No!"

The phone suddenly sparks, leaving Redford to let go of the phone, now just hanging through the coiled wire that holds it, black soot covering the listening end of the device.

There it was again, the look of fear.

 _Fear_ , he thought. And then it hit him, how she wound up on Saw Hill, why she was wearing a hospital gown, why two animals attacked them just moments ago, why she did not want him to call the police.

"You're hiding, aren't you?" Redford asked.

The bunny did not answer, but her look somehow confirmed it. She stared down, her expression changed from fear to sorrow.

The red fox did not press her further, worried that doing so may upset her further.

* * *

And so, the red fox did the next best thing. Instead of calling the authorities, the bodies were covered in a white cloth like a mummy and brought to the trunk of his sedan. He drove to an off-beaten path, following the path of the creek eastward to the forest covering near the dam. It was secluded and far enough from the town for anyone to notice.

This time, the bunny tagged along. She was silent though the entire time. Perhaps she still has not trusted him yet. Either way, Redford was just happy she trusted him enough to ride with him. On the way there, however, even with his eyes on the road, his peripheral vision caught the sight of the bunny occasionally staring at him.

With a shovel in hand, the red fox continued to dig a grave for the bodies. They were deep in the pocket of forest beside the river. It was around half-way into the dig that his arms grew tired. Ironic really, foxes were a natural in digging holes, and here he was with aching joints. He sat on a rock and looked back at the sedan. The bunny was at the front passenger seat, her eyes just focused on him. He wondered if she did it all the time. The way she acted on him, it was like she was expecting something from him.

After the short break, he continued to dig until the hole was deep enough. He put the bodies into the hole, and then covered the hole with the soil he unearthed. The entire thing took an hour, probably more.

The bunny relieved herself from looking at the fox. She had been lost in thought at her staring at him, that it would not be a surprise if he had noticed. Instead, she stared at her paws as she fiddled with her fingers. Eventually, she became absent-minded about it, her thoughts looking back at what happened just moments ago. She looked at the panthers. She had to do something. She thought it and it was done.

Again, she wanted to shift her attention away from all these negative thoughts. She then noticed a coin in the pocket between the two front seats.

 _Let's start with something easy_ …

…

"Let's start with something easy."

The bunny sat on a chair in-front of a table in an empty white room. On the table was a small silver coin. The bunny looked at the coin intently before the voice from the speaker came back once more.

"Subject 11, if you could kindly move the object away from you. Towards the edge of the table."

On top of her head, a bunch of wires and electrodes were attached on her head. The bunny complied and lifted her arm.

"Ah ah ah. No hands please." The speaker replied.

The bunny put her paw down from the table. She began to focus on the coin mentally.

The coin, at first, was motionless. It then began vibrating. And in an instant, the coin was moving… all by itself.

"Very good, Subject 11."

…

 _Very good_ …

A tear escaped from the bunny's eyes. All of a sudden, she heard a large thump coming from the back. Wiping her eye of the tear, she looked behind to the back of the car, noticing the fox was finally done and was now just storing his shovel to the trunk of his car. The bunny then shifted herself to a relaxed position just as the fox entered the driver side of the car. He looked at the bunny, who's gaze was angled downward, seemingly trying to show disinterest even if Redford knew otherwise.

"You don't talk too much."

The bunny remained unmoving, her eyes seemingly lost in focus, her lips tightly in place. It would seem she does not want to open up.

Redford wanted otherwise, however. He wanted the bunny to open up, and that meant warming up to her and gaining her trust. _What was the name she called herself again?_

"Carrots." There was a flick of her ear. _That's the one_ , he thought. "I think I get you."

She did not change her position, but somehow he knew he had her attention. Redford continued on. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. Just listen." He explained.

"The strange sightings happening around town, that was you, wasn't it?"

Again, the bunny did not answer, but Redford expected as much.

"You've been hiding around town 'til I found you yesterday. And I don't know why those 'thugs' were after you, but then I remembered about that hospital gown you were wearing." He looked at the bunny, who was now fiddling with her fingers.

"You weren't just hiding. You ran away." The fox concluded. "But who are you running away from? Why?"

The bunny stopped fiddling her fingers, she then looked at him as if she was about to say something. Redford waited for her reply. Her answer, however, gave more questions than answers.

"Bad people."

* * *

Back at the clearing near the south town, another squad car arrived at the scene of the crime, parking just adjacent to the other squad car already in the scene. Two wolves exit the police vehicle as they approach the moose, who was already in the scene.

"Chompson! Growlino! About time you guys showed up." Chief Rasmoosen called out to the two approaching wolf officers.

"We came here as fast as we could, Chief." Mike asked.

"Well, I'm afraid we're going to have to put the mystery searches at the back burner. A local called in to report this abandoned campsite due to potential environmental and fire hazards. Now the campsite is relatively in-tact, the fire's seems to be out for more than a day, but it's hard to tell with the rains and all. The fish on the pan is most likely spoiled. There are a few scattered supplies and the car is parked nearby. The campers' equipment are more than enough to put ours to shame, the only thing missing are the campers. Now, I need you guys to run the plate number." He said as he looked back at the abandoned camp site. "We've got missing mammals."

…

From afar, on the edge of the forest, a pair of eyes watch over the scene as the three officers inside the campsite begin to do their investigative work.


	5. The Bunny in Green

A/N: Well… apologies for the long delay. Real life has been catching up as of late.

But at least it's done. This chapter was supposed to be even longer, but you know what, screw that :P. I've also come back to past tense since the last chapter. Anyway, on with the story and Happy Halloween!…

* * *

Chapter 4: The Bunny in Green

The bunny looked over the challenge presented upon her person. There was a hint of doubt in her abilities as she was confused, scared even, as this time, she was strapped tight on a chair. They had told her to do things in the past. It started with simple things, little things. And as she performed with her abilities diligently, so did the complexity of her task increased. With her mind, she could lift heavier objects, objects bigger and heavier than she. Then she would be tasked to do multiple things at a time. Everything seemed manageable for as long as she could think it, it could be done.

How she longed for those days. The concept of time had eluded her, yet all she knew was that she had been here for as long as she could remember. She wished she could go back as she looked what was before her. The intercom from within the room broke the silence in the room, reminding her of the task at hand.

" _11, we are waiting._ "

She did not wish to do this. It was not right and she knew it from her gut. The bunny looked to her right on an opaque window, the mammal that spoke to her on the other end. She began shaking her head.

Once more, the voice of the intercom filled the room. "All this progress for nothing."

She hung her head low in shame at the response. As much as she wanted to please the voice, she just could not bring herself to do it.

Just then, the door knob turns as a mammal was entering. As the door opened however, a wave of fear washed over Judy as a cheetah entered the room and it was someone she dreaded. She looked to the window with pleading eyes. "No. What did I do?" She began shaking in an attempt to struggle free.

" _You disappoint me._ "

"What did I do!" The agitated bunny questioned out of fear.

" _Perhaps all you need is a little encouragement._ "

And with that, the cheetah gathered her focus to the bunny, and with that, all struggles from the bunny began to cease.

 _"I want you to put it in her head, 1. Let her know that there is no room for disobedience. Put it in her head that she is not just a special bunny. At the end of it all, she is just a weapon._ "

The cheetah nodded as she began his next wave of mental assault. That was his ability as 1 was a telepath. From the view of the cheetah, the bunny constantly turned her head in pain, her eyes already shut from the intensity.

At last, the cheetah ended his assault. The bunny's head hung forward as she took heavy breaths.

 _Let this be a lesson to you, 11._ The cheetah warned telepathically. The predator then turned to the window and gave a nod.

" _11? We are waiting…_ "

The bunny breathed heavily as she slowly raised her head, her eyes focusing on her target before her. At that, she began to channel her mental energy on the target before her, which was now shaking. Maintaining eye contact, she intensified her focus. The target before her began to mumble, a pained muffled voice could be heard from it. Finally, after a minute of her psychic attack, she thrusts a final wave of energy to the target.

SNAP!

* * *

"Nooo!"

"Carrots! Relax! You're alright!" Redford yelled at her in an attempt to wake her.

The bunny's eyes darted around as she was violently awoken. She squirmed at first at the feel of someone trying to limit her movements. Her actions eased when the sight of the fox was within her vision. Her breathing eventually normalized. She was back inside Redford's bedroom.

"What happened?" She finally asked, though unable to witness what happened while she was unconscious, she was afraid of what the fox might say.

The fox gave her a curious look, yet he showed it in a way to not give the bunny any doubt. "I don't think you want to know."

The bunny did not press further. She was not comfortable discussing things pertaining to her at the moment.

Sure that the bunny was calm, he let his paws off the bunny's face. He grabbed one of the clothing lying on floor amongst the mess. "You better change. We're leaving in a while."

"I beg your pardon?" The rabbit asked.

"I'm not leaving you alone after what happened yesterday morning. You're coming with me to work." Redford answered as he dressed himself in the bathroom. "There are some clothes that may fit you in that closet." He said, his finger pointing to the same closet the bunny hid in a day earlier.

The bunny just complied with the fox. At this point, there are little suspicions between them and that perhaps, she can trust him a little more. At least, her instincts told her that she could trust a fox, which is ironic in so many ways.

She put that thought aside for now. The red fox was right. She did not want a repeat of yesterday. And with that, she stood up and scoured the closet for whatever clothing she could wear.

Redford stared himself in the bathroom mirror and found himself shaken, unsure. The past two days was just too much, but what he saw this morning was just a whole other level. He had awoken from the bunny's screaming. Adjusting his vision, he immediately noticed the lights inside the room were all flickering. Fearing a repeat of yesterday, he wasted no time to get to the bed to wake her. He did not want to end up with dozens of shattered bulbs considering he had just replaced the main one. It was soon that Redford realized that the bunny was experiencing nightmares. And yet, she remained unconscious throughout the entire event. When he had waken her, everything stopped, but he had never been so freaked out that. Horror movies are now going to feel tame to him.

"What are you?" He asked no one in particular, though it may as well have been directed at the bunny.

He picked himself a plain beige collared shirt and began buttoning himself up.

The bunny continued the search for something to wear, which was proving to be rather difficult considering most of the clothes lying around were too big for her. Regardless, she continued her search. She never thought to trouble herself on such trivial things. After checking every clothing hanged and every drawer, she noticed a piece of clothing that made her stop a moment. It was a green uniform. It had pockets in the front chest area, emblems of a conifer stitched on the side, and a red emblem with the numbers 914 on one side. It somehow seemed… familiar.

"I see you've found my old ranger scout uniform."

The bunny turned her head to the newly dressed fox. "I couldn't even remember holding on to it."

"You must like this shirt." The bunny replied in kind.

"Not really." The fox answered. "They never did treat foxes well there. Predators in general actually."

"I don't understand." The bunny replied confused.

"It's just the way it is. In a city where most of the population is prey, they can be a bit… harsh." The fox explained.

"How?"

"Aren't you a little nosy for a bunny?" Redford chuckled. There was probably no harm explaining to her the classic divide between predator and prey. "They pick on you, call you names, and a bit of bullying, but you know how kids can be." Redford explained. He approached the closet, searching the drawers. "That was then, though." He continued. "I really don't know how things are going there now. Don't really watch much news these days."

He then removed something from the drawer, a green round-neck shirt. The red fox smiled. "This will do." Redford then placed it on the paws of the bunny. "I'll be downstairs." He replied as he made his way to the hallway.

The bunny stared at the green shirt intently. Something was very unique about the shirt. It had the faintest scent of something that she could feel was at the tip of her muzzle. Then again, it could all be in her head.

…

Redford heard the front door close as he noticed the bunny now approaching her. She wore the green shirt as well as a pair of gray shorts, the blue cap on the top for the finishing touch.

"If you didn't have long ears and gray fur, I would've mistaken you for my kid." Redford smiled mischievously.

She returned the remark with a confused look, which Redford found quite amusing. The fox finally opens the door to let her get in.

It was on their way toward Redford's workplace that the he realized that bunny seems to have dwelled in his remarks as the bunny opens her mouth.

"You're a father." The bunny stated politely.

Redford gave himself a moment's pause, focusing on the road while formulating a response. Though the question is quite personal, he was not expecting much more from the bunny. "Yep. Back in my old life. I was quite fond of him actually. Took him everywhere I went."

"Old life?"

"I'm from Zootopia, remember?" The fox joked.

"But… why leave?" The bunny asked.

All the red fox could do was chuckle a bit more. The bunny seemed to take notice, giving him a raised eyebrow as the red fox tried to explain himself. "I'm really sorry… Carrots. You just have so many questions, it's like you used to be a cop or something. Though, I've never heard of a bunny cop. No offense." The red fox replied. He had to admit, she was amusingly nosy for a bunny as strange as she. Redford did his best to be as understanding as possible, though he did not want to divulge much of his personal life. Ever since he moved, he has taken his privacy quite seriously. "Let's just look at it this way, Carrots. Life is just harder when you're a predator. Trust me, I found it out the hard way."

Redford reached Lambley road and took a left turn to cross the bridge back in to town. The ride was brief as the trip to Clearwater was barely thirty or even twenty minutes. Such distance would be quite far in the big city. Traffic was definitely something the red fox did not miss about being in the big city. The mere act of driving to town proved more leisurely than some kind of chore. As for Carrots, she seems to share the same sentiment. A glance once in a while reveals a small smile appear on the bunny's face, a rarity considering everything that's happened to the rather unfortunate bunny.

After a few more minutes of driving, they had finally arrived at the bar/diner owned by Fig Whitetail. Redford took a moment to park his car near the establishment.

"So Carrots…" Redford called, getting the attention of the bunny. "I believe I never formally introduced myself. The name's Robert Redford, but you can call me Robert."

"Robert." The bunny repeated.

"There you go." The fox replied in a chipper tone. "Now come on. I want you to meet someone, then we can get you breakfast inside."

…

Fig was cleaning a few glasses at the counter when he noticed the familiar pointy ears of the red fox, who seemed to be in the company of someone. He could easily notice the long gray black tipped ears. The curious badger wondered if it was someone he knows. Never did he recall the red fox having a bunny for a friend at least in this town anyway. He stopped his pondering as he was going to find out anyway. The fox and the bunny enter the said establishment. Although his attention was turned away upon seeing a bandage wrapped on the fox's foot.

Redford, noticing the apparent surprise on his employer's face, immediately tried to formulate an explanation in his head. "Before you say anything, I just want to say that it's nothing to worry-"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Red." Fig interrupted while he raised a paw. "Margaret told me everything. You really should be more careful." The badger replied.

"Oh really now. I tell you, that woman can just be so meddling."

"And with good reason." The badger looked over to the bunny next to her. "Who's your lady friend?"

"Of course. Fig, this is Carrots. Her mother and I were friends back when I was still Zootopia. She just stopped by for a brief visit."

"Carrots, you say? Your parents sure have a funny way of naming kits." The badger replied, addressing her remarks to bunny.

"Fig, come now. She just came here and you've already insulted her parents."

"I meant no offense to the lady." The badger replied as he extended his paw for a paw shake. "Fig Whitetail. Pleased to meet'ya."

The bunny looked at the fox, who was gesturing her to accept his paw. "Go on." He said.

And with that, the bunny took the paw of the badger. The badger had not expected the bunny to have such a strong grip. They finally let each other's paws go. "Well, for a bunny, you sure got muscle."

"Thanks… I guess?" The bunny replied.

The badger simply gave a chuckle. "What do ya, know? She speaks."

"Fig, Carrots here is famished. We came here for breakfast."

"But of course. I can't refuse a customer, especially one who just so happens to work here and comes five minutes late." The badger smirked as he looked at the red fox, who suddenly became sheepish. "Of course, any friend of Redford is a friend of mine."

…

Their breakfast was a simple one. Carrots had the toast with… carrots… on the side. Redford had something similar, though instead of carrots, he had blueberries on the side. Redford was a little disappointed that Fig had barred him from the hard stuff after Margaret had told on him. A slight inconvenience. Nevertheless, the both were enjoying a quiet meal, though Carrots could not help but notice the occasional glance from Robert. Now that she thought of it, she did notice the fox glancing her way on the way here. They started off as brief glances, immediately looking away when her eyes would dart his way. It came to a point where the fox seemed to have been lost in thought as the bunny did not even give effort to catching him staring at her.

"Why do you do that?" The bunny asked curiously.

The fox, hearing the question being addressed to him, immediately snapped back. He look at the bunny whose eyes stared straight into his. "I beg your pardon?"

"That." She replied. "Looking at me."

At that he realized his carelessness. "I'm so sorry, Carrots. I-I I didn't know."

"It's okay." Carrots answered reassuringly. "But why?"

"It-It's just…" The fox drew a long breath as he lowered his face with a bit of shame. "I… you remind me of him."

The bunny immediately understood what he meant by that. "Your son."

"He used to wear that shirt a lot, considering green was his favorite color." Redford reminisced. "You know what's funny? I could've sworn I saw him just before I met you. Though I feel it's my mind playing tricks on me." He added, grabbing a glass of water to take a sip. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm going crazy and I wonder if leaving Zootopia was ever the right decision."

The bunny immediately noticed his demeanor had changed with his ears falling behind his head.

"Then… why leave?"

"Like I said, Carrots, some species just have it harder than others. The thing is, you're already at a disadvantage just by being a fox. I wanted to lead my family out into the countryside, but the missis refused." He answered though in a much softer tone. Fig was just at the counter though, and thankfully, he did not seem to hear their conversation. "She wanted our kid to have a better future in the city than in the countryside." He looked down in sadness. "She was right, though, but that doesn't makes me wrong."

And with that, Carrots was slowly beginning to understand Redford's story. He left Zootopia because of the lack of opportunity and a difficult environment. More importantly, he reluctantly had to leave his family, whom he probably has not seen in many years.

Redford gave a small chuckle, seemingly forgetting his grievances. "Are you sure you're not a cop, Carrots?"

"I wish... I wish I was." the bunny replied as she gave him a warm smile.

Redford could not understand it, but he found her smile comforting, inviting even. And to think he was afraid of her hours earlier. With that, he returned her smile with his own. "Well, you know what they say. In Zootopia, anyone can be anything."

Her smile quickly faded, replaced with a look of confusion, then of shock. "W-what did you say?"

"Is there something wrong?" The red fox asked.

"I think I remembered something." She answered as if something had clicked inside the bunny's mind.

It was then that the front door rang, alerting everyone inside of the a visitor only it was not a customer that came inside. Coincidentally, three officers had entered inside the building.

"Chief Rasmoosen." Fig greeted. "What can I do you for?"

"Mornin' Fig. Unfortunately, we're here for official business." Rasmoosen replied as Antoine approached the badger with a file. "By any chance, you haven't seen these characters around, have ya'?"

Fig looked at the photo before him, studying the faces carefully. "Definitely looks familiar. You know what, I think so, but that's not how I remembered them."

Redford could not help but overhear their conversation. The mention of black suits and ties definitely got the attention of the bunny and the fox. Curiosity got the better of him as he stood up. "We'll talk about this later." The red fox then made his way to join in on the discussion. "What's going on fellas? How're the neighborhood watches going?"

"We've postponed the watches actually, Red." Mike answered.

"Well Mr. Canucks isn't going to be pleased." Redford replied.

"Mr. Canucks can wait." Rasmoosen replied. "Something else came up. Lieutenant, if you please."

Antoine complied and offered the folder to his superior. "By any chance, have you seen these two mammals?"

Redford looked at the file, a wave of anxiety washing over him. Before him was a photo of two black panthers, most likely brothers. It was a digital photo courtesy of their mother, printed on a coupon bond paper. Their faces were covered in smiles, perhaps enjoying each other's company.

They were the same panthers that came to their house.


	6. The State

A/N: First things first, I apologize for the really long delay. I really wanted to release this earlier. And then I bought a game called Banished about a month ago, being a huge city-building game fan myself. It's horrifyingly addictive for a game that's just less than 300MB total file size. Weekends were lost trying to figure out why my people kept dying either by running out of food or freezing to death. There were times I forget to save, so when something bad happens, countless hours were lost. It's one of those games where I can't leave it alone or something bad will happen. But I understand how the game works now and so it's finally sorta of my system at least. And then I was gifted Battlefield 1 last week... well to say the least, I'm not gonna dig in to multiplayer until I upgrade my GPU.

Story-related, I made some slight changes to early chapters. I'll tell ya so you don't have to sift through. I changed the two panthers attire. I feel that putting them in formal attire doesn't put the story forward. Initially, I was gonna make them part of the conspiracy, but somewhere in the middle, I wanted to make them victims instead. And since then I'm been making up plausible ways of how they switched from fishing gear to suite and tie. It's been nagging through me and I just think it's best if I ditch that altogether. It would suit the narrative more with everything that I've written.

On a plus note, I think I'll have more time on this story, especially now that it's the Holidays. Got a weeks worth of leave :).

Oh, and a Merry Christmas to all :).

* * *

Chapter 5: The State

"By any chance, have you seen these two mammals?"

Redford looked at the photo, stared at it, but when he was about to answer, Fig began to speak.

"You know, I do recall them asking me about the search."

"Search?"

"He's talking about the neighborhood watch, Chief. The one you asked us to call off due to the missing mammals." Antoine explained.

"I see." The moose replied. "Carry on, Fig."

"Anyway, they seemed mighty interested in what we find, if we did find anything that is. Of course… we didn't find anything and that's what I told'em." The badger explained. "Who are these guys anyway, chief?"

Rasmoosen pulled out the other files inside the folder. "The panthers in the photo are Sam Hunter and Will Hunter, both are brothers. Will is the eldest. He works in a bank somewhere in Zootopia for four years. Sam Hunter just graduated. According to their mother, Will wanted to take Sam to a fishing trip here in Clearwater."

"Seems like a couple of good folks, sir." Antoine added.

"I don't know. Somethin' ain't right." Fig replied.

"What do you mean?" Redford asked.

"Like I said, that's not how I remembered them, last I saw'em. They were quiet and all. Don't seem like the kind of fellas that would be all smiles. They seemed to be searchin' for somethin'."

"Okay." Rasmoosen replied. "Did they ask for anything?"

"No. They left as soon as they came. Whatever they were looking for, they didn't find it." Fig then realized something as he looked toward Redford. "What about you, Red? I reckon you saw something."

"'fraid not, Fig." He lied. Though he would not be lying that he was a bit nervous that all eyes darted on him.

Rasmoosen's eyes was particularly frightening though. Redford felt as though he saw pass through it. If it was not for his rough upbringing, he would have slipped up by now with a tell. Rasmoosen was not the best cop around, but he did not become chief of police for no reason even if it is a small town. And he was definitely no small town cop, having moved from Pine Valley, a medium-sized city on the coast, due to personal reasons, he brought his experience and expertise as well.

"I was at Margaret." It was still the truth. He looked toward the Rasmoosen straight in the eye, just to prove his point. And he made it convincing too.

At least, that's what he thought. Rasmoosen's eyes narrowed briefly. Redford wondered if he had been found.

"You know, Redford's right. Marge did call me about it." Fig replied.

He initially looks at the red fox with a bit of suspicion. Just then, Rasmoosen's phone comes to life. He immediately picks the handheld from his. "Hi Bailey." He started. "Okay. We'll be right there." The chief stood up and organized his files. "Mike! Antoine! On me." He ordered as they stand up to prepare to leave. "I suppose this is all for today."

"If I may, chief, what was that about?" Redford asked.

"That was Bailey Barnes from frontdesk. Some mammals from State want to meet us at the police station. Apparently, their troopers found the bodies along Lambley road, midway between here and Lambley." The chief replied.

"Lambley?" Redford questioned.

"I wish I can say more, Red, but I can't comment any further on an on-going investigation. SOP, boys. Now have a good one." The moose greeted before approaching the door. The other two soon followed, but not before Antoine points out to the flickering lightbulb above.

"You oughta have that replaced, Fig. Could start a fire."

There was a flicker of the light above them, a detail that was not difficult to miss due to the recent on-goings.

"You know it's just the ghost, Antoine." Fig answered.

"Whatever." Antoine simply waved off his paw before finally leaving the door.

"Say hi to Bailey for me." The badger waved off.

Robert simply nodded even if he already knew the source of the fluctuations. Living a day or two with a rabbit who can do extraordinary things made him worry less knowing what the cause of these fluctuations are. Speaking of which, he briefly glanced to the table where they were enjoying breakfast a moment ago to check on her. But his calm expression quickly shifted to worry when he found no one there.

"Where is she?" Redford asked.

* * *

Carrots simply stared at the five mammals who were in the heat of a discussion. She could not help but try to listen in the moment one of the officers mentioned they had postponed the neighborhood watches. In a way, she was relieved they momentarily discontinued, if that was any consolation, but it seems like a small thing now compared to what they are now up against. She was never afraid of the police, afterall, considering the town's force was lacked in mammalpower. It was what would happen next as one thing would lead to another.

 _Subject 11._

Her ears perked up. She looked around then back the five mammals, who seemed to not have noticed anything. It was not long after that she felt a familiar presence lurking around, though unaware of her presence was definitely nearby. She made herself as small as possible. Making sure her ears lay flat against her head, she was about to take a small peak to the front windows.

 _"I want you to put it in her head, 1. Let her know that there is no room for disobedience. Put it in her head that she is not just a special bunny. At the end of it all, she is just a weapon."_

She immediately pulled back. The memory was just enough of a confirmation to know that 1 is nearby. Panicked, she ducked and crawled her way to back back of the diner, bypassing Fig, Redford and the police. She eventually found a janitors closet, hastily opening the door to let herself in. She closed the door and was once again back at her lonesome.

Everything was black. She could hear nothing but the voice of her own whimpering. Her heart paced rapidly, her mind seemingly wandering back to the times when she was in that… place.

* * *

An audible crack was heard and the target fell silent. It was then that the bunny started to sob heavily. The cheetah only approached forward near where the target lay. He then removed the brown sack covering the head of the target, which was a prisoner, the enemy or whatever you wanted to call it, but at face value, it was just a deer, a deer that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was not a pleasant sight. There was a discontinuity at his neck, as it had been snapped. Blood trickled from his nose, eyes, and ears, an effect of the telekinetic forces being exerted on his head. His eyes were open and his mouth was gagged. The mammal clearly suffered in pain up until his last moments.

"Excellent work, subject 11." The voice from the intercom answered.

* * *

All of a sudden, the rabbit was greeted with a flash of light, and a silhouette of what appeared to be a large mammal.

"There you are!"

The bunny, caught off-guard, unleashed a wave of telekinetic energy on her supposed attacker, sending the mammal on the receiving end of the attack to fly away to a wall, impacting it with so much force, there was now a crater.

The feeling was gone now. Whatever telepathic presence she could sense from that cheetah was no longer there.

"Fig!" Redford yelled out as he approached in aid of the badger, who lay unconscious beside the cratered wall. He looked at the closet, revealing the panicked bunny as she tried catching his breath.

"What did you do?" The red fox asked.

"Robert… I'm s-sorry." The bunny replied shaking.

"What did you do!" The red fox asked again.

"I-I-I don't know. I panicked and I…" The bunny couldn't finish her words, staring instead at the sight now before them.

Redford kneeled down, shaking the head of his employer in an attempt to wake him. "Fig? Fig!"

"Robert, let me help-"

"I think you've done quite enough." The red fox replied as he continued shaking the head of the unconscious badger. "Fig!"

Thankfully, the badger seemed to be coming to, opening his eyes slowly as he adjusted himself from the initial confusion. Initially, all he could see and hear is a red blur echoing with a familiar voice. The red blur was obviously Redford after his vision had adjusted enough for him to recognize the red fox. "Red, what happened?" He asked as he looked around getting a better picture, but a quick glance at the cratered wall and the bunny beside the fox immediately made something click in him. His demeanor immediately changed to one of panic and hostility. He immediately backed away towards a mop that had flown out of the closet with him, grabbing it and pointing it to the two mammals as if it was some kind of sword, as comical as it may seem.

"Fig, calm down. It's just me-"

"Shut it, Red." The badger answered, thrusting his mop just below the fox's muzzle.

Redford could not believe what was happening. It was only moments ago that they were all getting along. He did not understand why the bunny acted the way she did, but she had unwittingly revealed her secret to his employer. Townsfolk can sometimes be very superstitious while city folk tends to be more open. Fig was born and raised in Clearwater, and despite being able to study in the city held onto his rather conservative values. Redford was a city folk before moving here. Needless to say, not even Redford could rationally explain bunny powers and would rather lazily reason it to magic. Heck, would not be surprised if people thought this as witchcraft and perhaps he was vexed. Or maybe he would accused of aiding a witch. Or maybe he was overthinking things.

He looked at his employer's eyes for confirmation of the worst, but he could not tell with the way his eyes were not trained on him. It was then that the red fox realized his employer had froze. He still held the mop pointed towards him and the red fox could hear his heavy breaths, but otherwise, the badger had essentially become a mannequin.

Redford did not need a clue though. He looked to his right to see the bunny on her legs though a bit wobbly. Her eyes were trained on the badger as blood was starting to drip out of her muzzle.

"Please…" She said as she inhaled deeply. "Listen." The rabbit finished.

* * *

Located just across the river, the ride to the police station is barely a five minute ride, a testament to how small the town of Clearwater is. Two police cars parked at the allocated parking area adjacent the station as a moose and two wolves enter the building. Adjusting her glasses, a female middle-aged porcupine types away on her computer, not bothering to look at the approaching officers.

"Bailey, where are they?" The chief asked, an urgent tone in his voice.

"At your office. And it's just a him, chief. The other one left." The porcupine replies unenthusiastically.

Rasmoosen simply nodded as he charged his way toward, leaving the two wolves with the porcupine.

…

Rasmoosen approached the door, taking a peek from a crevice between t the glass window. Sure enough, there was a mammal sitting on the guest chair. Still in a state trooper uniform, the mammal stood up, revealing himself to be a gray timberwolf. He offered his paw to the police chief.

"You must be the chief of police." The wolf replied.

"Chief Rasmoosen. Welcome to Clearwater uhmm…"

"Sergeant Feralta, State Police." The wolf introduced

"Right… Sergeant." The moose greeted while taking a seat at his chair. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Of course, Chief. Just this morning, my unit spotted two panthers lying on the side of the road. They were dressed in what appears to be fishing uniform. Upon closer inspection, however, it was revealed that were no longer breathing."

"What was the cause of death?" Rasmoosen asked.

"They were mortally wounded by bullet to the chest. We're sending the bodies to the morgue, but from preliminaries, the victims died due to exsanguination."

"Have you caught the assailant?"

"Not yet. But we've begun processing the crime scene. We should be able to find this son of a gun."

"Well that makes our work easier." Rasmoosen picks up the phone handle. "I suppose all that's left to do is to identify the body. I'll notify the family members-"

"Don't worry about it. We've already communicated the tragedy with the family. In fact, we'll be handling the investigation from now forwards."

"The state?" Rasmoosen asks puzzlingly while putting the phone down. "Sergeant, last I recall, State's responsibility is to assist municipal authorities, not take over them."

"I know the rules, sir. Believe me, but superiors wanted to take a deeper look into this. It's a matter of… national security."

"Two brothers going on a fishing trip? Don't make me laugh."

"I wish I could say more. I'm just following orders." The sergeant explained.

The moose looked up through ceiling breathing a heavy sigh. "Of course."

* * *

Redford thought of all the possible outcomes that could have gone against his way. Today could have been his last day on the job. Heck, Fig could have told on them. But this was not about him anyway. And yet, despite all the things that could have gone wrong, it turned out to be a good day. Carrots released Fig from her grip after he had calmed down and after a few minutes of the red fox explaining had sympathized with the bunny, though it was also probably part fear as well. Nevertheless, there was an agreement between them that leaving Rasmoosen in the dark about this incident would be best for now. Perhaps he would have to come up with a good excuse tomorrow if he or the wolves drop by.

They were now on their way back to his home. They both avoided each other's gaze with the bunny looking down at her fumbling paws, while Redford maintained his eyes on the road. The ride back home was silent, at least half the way until the bunny finally spoke.

"I'm sorry." The bunny replied regrettably.

"For what?" The fox briefly glanced her way, puzzled at the her reply. "Fig's taking things surprisingly well. You have nothing to worry about or be sorry about for that matter." At least, that was his logic. So long as everything works out in the end, then no harm done. "But I want to understand what happened back there."

There was a brief silence. He made another brief glance at the bunny, who simply looked the other way. Redford could only make out her translucent reflection from the window, but she looked like she'd seen a ghost.

And with a slight tremble in her breath, her lips begin to move. "I… felt him."

"Him? Who's he?" Redford asked. When he did not get a reply, he immediately understood. "The bad people. They're here in Clearwater, aren't they?"

The bunny made a slow nod, her face still facing against him.

"I figured. You know something ain't right. Chief said they found the bodies midway between here and Lambley. But we buried them near the dam. That can't be right. Must be some kind of cover-up." He looked briefly at the bunny, who still seemed to be preoccupied by whatever she saw.

Carrots had been deep in thought, playing back the events earlier in her mind. She could have sworn that she was this close to being found, yet just as he felt the cheetah's ever increasing presence, it just disappeared. It was puzzling, yet troubling. _Could she have been found_ , she thought to herself. Lost in her thought, that she did not realize the vehicle was starting to slowdown. It was only when she realized that they have made a full stop that the bunny reactively looked at the red fox beside her.

"Calm down. I just want to talk." The fox replied reassuringly, hoping to calm her before she got nervous. It seemed to work and he was happy to continue. "I want to understand you, Carrots. Do you want to talk about it?" When he did not get a reply, he simply continued. "Look, I don't know whatever 'he' did to you, but I can assure you. 'He' ain't coming near us. I know this isn't a lot coming from a fox who nearly got pummeled a few days ago, but I give you my word." He answered. And although she never replied back, he could see a hint of a small smile creep on her face. Slowly, he moved the car forward heading through the river until they reached Redford's home.

* * *

Mike and Antoine turned to face the chief's office when they notice the door opening, revealing the now leaving wolf trooper, followed by the moose. The two other wolf officers straightened themselves and offered a salute to the departing wolf.

"You two keep fighting the good fight now." Sergeant Feralta replied.

"Yes, sir." They both answered simultaneously.

The state trooper continued off to his vehicle, driving off to the main road, then across the bridge heading north.

"You guys are never this enthusiastic when it comes to saluting me." Rasmoosen remarked, now beside his two subordinates. "He's not your immediate superior, you know."

The two simply shrug. "It's a wolf thing."

Mike immediately regret saying that as he felt the moose's eyes lock on his. Obviously, he did not like the answer. The wolf's ears fell back against his head, a nervous laugh escaped his maw. "So what's the situation now, chief?" Mike asks, attempting to change the subject.

The moose sighs. "It was a double homicide, but it doesn't matter. We're off the case. Gave whatever we had."

"You know, with everything that's been goin' around here, and with murder and all, how does it feel to be a big city cop again?" Mike asked.

"I don't know, boys. Not sure I welcome it." Rasmoosen stares off at the fleeing state vehicle as it becomes smaller and smaller. "Notice anything strange about Redford?"

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

The chief rolls his eyes before looking at his two wolf subordinates. "You mean you didn't notice his fur was roughed up around his neck?"

"Nah. You know us canines tend to make our necks puffy." Mike explained. "Though having a rabbit for a companion does seem rather odd."

"Rabbit? What are you talking about?"

"You mean you didn't notice Redford was with a rabbit?" Antoine replied rolling his eyes to the chief.

"Touche boys. Touche."

"So what now, boss?" Antoine asked.

"I don't know. State ain't usually this efficient. Something ain't quite right."

"We're not gonna involve ourselves, are we?" Mike asked.

"Technically, we don't need to. Chompson, Growlino, get a warrant to obtain security footage from nearby establishments. If anyone asks, tell them it's about the crazy things happening around town." The moose orders. "These panthers would have surely been seen." He then looked at the porcupine secretary. "Bailey, I have a job for you."


	7. Bunny Cop

A/N: Again, apologies for the really long wait. I had been contemplating on whether to make this chapter fully loaded to immediately progress the story, but then I thought if I did that, it could take me another month. I simply had to break it in two parts.

To my faithful reviewer, CombatEngineer, your input is really helpful. I look forward to talking with you if you have any ideas to share. Finally, this is the chapter where things start to converge. As to when we'll see what's going on in Zootopia, it's really close ;).

* * *

Chapter 6: Bunny Cop

The sun was lazily falling towards the horizon as some mom and pop shops were beginning to close while dining establishments were preparing for the dinner crowd. Life in Clearwater would seem to go on and nothing would spoil it, regardless of any incidence faced earlier in the day. Fig Whitetail looked at his diner and gave a frustrated sigh. The crater, though now covered with planks, was still an unsightly view. Customers through the day's prior fuzzed over the presence of the hole. No doubt it had turned off some customers. Worse off, it would take a two weeks to repair the wall.

It was then that the phone on the counter began ringing. Another sigh escaped his lips. "Now who could that be?" He asked to himself, though in all honesty, he already had a hunch on who was on the other line. He picked up the phone.

"Whitetail's Diner. How may I be of service?" He greeted.

" _Fig. It's me._ " The familiar voice on the other end replied.

"I know, Red. And something tells me you're gonna say something I'm not gonna like." Fig replied.

" _Well I take offense to that… boss._ " Redford replied.

"Just get on with it, Red. Time is money."

" _I can't come to work tomorrow, Fig. Cuz of… you know why._ "

Fig gave out another sigh, his third one, his day barely starting. "Sure, Red. Take all the time you need." He replied with his teeth grinding.

" _Thanks. I hope you're not upset._ " The red fox replied.

"Oh no." His eyes then narrowed. "Just don't get used to it." The badger replied.

" _I won't. Thanks._ "

The conversation finally ending, Fig put down the phone.

Another sigh escaped him. "That bunny is nothing but trouble."

Just as he said that, the door ringer sounded, getting the attention of Fig and focusing his gaze on the entrant. It was only then that he felt an air of intimidation around him as he stared at a cheetah who was carefully approaching him.

"May I help you sir?" The badger asked.

The cheetah made no response, his only reply being a careful step forward.

* * *

Redford put down the phone over the counter beside the assortment of candy and treats. He was inside a convenience store at the gas station near his home. Redford was admittedly no chef, getting mostly microwave-ready or ready-to-eat meals, which is why this is his go-to place for food to be stocked home. He looked at his bunny who seemed to be looking over a display of some dried carrots, a snack typically consumed on long road trips. Carrots seemed to enjoy looking around, even though she was not going to buy anything really, not that he would mind if she suddenly had something to buy. She seemed pretty focus at what she was doing. Or distracted, he thought. Either way, he did not want to rush her. Perhaps a nice chat with the doe filling up his car would be good. Carol, the service mammal running the gas station, was the kind mammal to take advantage of the simpler things. "I'll be outside. No need to rush." After picking a few supplies and leaving money on the counter, he immediately made his way out to the gasoline counter where the deer was just about finished servicing the vehicle of Clearwater's resident businessmammal.

"She's full, Mr. Canucks."

"Keep the change, darlin'." The beaver replied, giving a sizeable tip to doe, who took it with a hint of playfulness.

"You really should come here more often." The doe replied, leaving from one gas counter to another. The beaver looked toward the other car the deer was approaching, noticing the red fox who also looked back to him. The beaver gave simple wave and a nod, to which the red fox returned the gesture.

"Not every day I see Mr. Canucks" Redford answered to the approaching doe.

"You tell me. Says he had some business to take care of in Lambley." The deer replied. "And what happened to you? Phone got busted?"

"Yep. Electrical short." Redford replied, leaning one paw on the trunk.

"From the storm a few days ago?" Carol continued.

"Nah. Lightning rod's fine. All my other appliances checked out okay. Faulty wiring was the culprit."

"And you don't think Ramstein could help you out with that?"

"Maybe… when I need to. I don't get a lot of phone calls as it stands."

"Whatever you say, Red." The deer turned her head at the convenience store before turning back. "Say, Red. I don't mean to pry, but…" She hesitated for a bit. "Who's the bunny?"

"Just a friend of a friend. She's just visiting is all."

"Good. For a second, I thought you were going interspecies with that bun."

Redford just simply raised a brow, as well as his arm, showing the ring on his paw.

Carol simply chuckled at that. "I'm just kidding, Red. You know very well there's another gas station in town. You're practically my only source of news and gossip… aside from the chief that is. As you know, regulars here are interstate folks. Speaking of which…" Carol immediately points a hoof at the incoming vehicle. "Hey… I better take this."

"Go ahead. It was nice talking to you Carol."

"You too."

Carol gave a friendly nod before sprinting to the other car. A family of jaguars exit the vehicle. Carol immediately approached the parents while a pair of cubs race towards the convenience store. Racing through the double doors while playing a game of tag, the two cubs run along the small isles. The jaguar cub who was 'it', raced to catch his brother who was running to the canned and bottled drinks aisle. But just as the brother cub turned to the said aisle, he hit something and was knocked over to the floor. The other brother immediately ran towards him to see if he was okay. It was then that after checking for any sort of injury and found none that they noticed the mammal they bumped in to.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bunny… Ma'am. We didn't mean…" Replied the younger cub, who had tripped.

"It's alright. No need to apologize. I wasn't looking-." A flash caught the bunny off-guard as she covered her eyes in reaction.

The older cub held with him a smart phone, the camera faced squarely on her, he looked at her in excitement. His eyes seemed to sparkle in a way kids would when they see something they want. "I know you!" His response immediately caught the bunny off-guard.

The bunny was immediately startled, taking a slight step back. The other cub continued to look at his brother with curiosity. "We do?"

"Don't you remember, Rodney? She's the bunny- hey!" The jaguar yelled as the bunny frantically ran away from them.

"Way to go, Marcus. You scared her." Rodney replied to his older brother, to which the brother stood and immediately started sprinting. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna come chase her, Rodney."

…

Carrots pushed the double doors open, hoping to get away from the scene. A thought then emerged from her mind as she focused her thoughts on the double doors. She could see the cubs from the other end, but just as they reached for the door, they realized that they were slammed shut. Satisfied with her work, she calmed down and headed back to where Redford parked the car. It did not take long for her to hear the honk of the familiar car. Red looked through the open window on the driver's seat. He had a cheeky grin as he stared at the bunny. "For a moment, I thought you were never gonna leave." The bunny said nothing. Instead, she just hopped her way to the front passenger side. It did not take long for them to speed out of the gas station. And just as she finally lost her mental grip on the doors, she could briefly see the two jaguar cubs exit the convenience store, only to be confused to see she was no longer there. The bunny could only breathe a sigh of relief.

"I take it you had fun shopping." The rabbit looked to the red fox, who seemed oblivious to what just happened.

* * *

The time was now around sunset with the town now well-lit in preparation for the dark. Mammals were out and about enjoying the evening either by eating out or hanging out in the town square. And in some way, the atmosphere made it feel as if the town is not that isolated from the outside world, which is why Fig's diner being closed was oddly suspicious for a wolf officer. Mike and Antoine agreed to split the workload, reducing the number the time to visit all the nearby establishments by half. Mike would inspect two adjacent establishments while Antoine inspected Fig and another establishment. He had just completed the visit from the other establishment, obtaining their CCTV footage and depositing it inside their police car.

Now, he stood before the doors of Fig's diner with a door sign that says 'CLOSED' and the lights off. "Fig?" He called out while knocking the door. In some random thought, Antoine lifted his paw to turn the door knob, hoping that maybe, by some bizarre luck, the door is unlocked. He figured that Fig must have probably left considering that the inside was dim. But to close this early, he knew Fig was never to do any of that sort. This made it all the more puzzling when he realized that he was able to fully turn the knob and push the door forward. "Fig?" With the natural light almost gone, it was dark inside, which was partly offset thanks to the ability of a wolf's eye to adjust in low light condition.

"Woah." He muttered under his breath, seeing a huge crater on the wall at the back end of the diner. He was pretty sure that was not there this morning and had to check it out for himself. A feeling of dread washed over him as he drew out his side arm. Somehow, he had a feeling that something was lurking in the shadows. As he made a few careful steps, he finally noticed what appears to be a body on the floor, immediately recognizing it to be the badger's. "Fig!" He screamed as he ran to his side. He placed a paw on his neck to feel a pulse. A wave of relief rushed over him as he realized that the badger was only unconscious. He immediately reached for a radio. "Mike, this is Antoine. We got a 10-39 at Fig's. Need back-up."

Fortunately for Antoine, Mike responded almost immediately. "10-4. On my way."

His attention was now focused on the mammal lying on the floor. But just as he was about to revive the unconscious badger, his sensitive ears were able to pick a faint sound coming from the kitchen area. He tried radioing Mike once more, but all he got was static. And while SOP advises to always wait for back-up, he needed to move. His gut feeling tells him that the perpetrator is in the building. With the side-arm, a standard-issue tranquilizer gun, aimed at the kitchen door, he slowly made steps to the kitchen, but stopped midway when he realized that Fig usually brought his ingredients through the front door. The entrance door is the only exit in the building. The perpetrator was trapped.

"Sir! Whoever you are!" He called out. "Come out with your paws up!"

It was then that the perpetrator revealed himself that Antoine was unnerved. The two looked into each other in the eye, but something was very off about the mammal in front him. Both his paws now on the trigger, he was committed to use his weapon. His eyes, somehow still captivated, never leaving the feline's. Finally, he pulled the trigger.

The last thing he could recall was a piercing sensation to the right of his skull before he passed out.

* * *

Rasmoosen had a long day. After a heated yet civil exchange with the state trooper, he had a lot to think while he was on his way to the gas station near the bridge. He stopped at one of the unoccupied service counter. He immediately noticed Carol attending to a group of jaguars, a family as far as Rasmoosen could tell. Not waiting for the doe, he exited the driver's seat so that he could self-service his police car.

He continued standing just beside the gas tank watching Carol work. When the doe momentarily faced him, she gave a slight wave of her hoof that was a little too flirty, something that the police chief immediately responded with rolling his eyes. She was always like that, although it never amounted to more than the casual talks and the occasional wink. Regardless, Rasmoosen found her to be very good company, though said company was occupied with other customers to what is otherwise a quiet gas station.

"I told you, Rodney! That was her!"

"No way! That was probably just a look-alike."

The moose could not help but notice the two jaguar cubs arguing at the pavement. He found it rather adorable in a way. _Kids_ , he thought.

"I'm telling you. It was the bunny cop!"

 _Bunny cop?_ , the moose wondered. His interest suddenly piqued, he approached the two cubs.

"Hey there, kids." The moose greeted to the two predators. "Don't you boys start any trouble now."

"Oh no. Mr. Officer, sir." The younger brother replied, a curious look emerging from his face. "Are you wearing shades?"

"Yes?"

"But it's almost night." He added.

"And Moose don't have night vision like we do." The younger sibling added.

"You look ridiculous."

The moose simply gave out a sigh. "Everyone's a critic." He removed his shades from his eyes and into the front pocket. "So you were saying?"

" Well… my brother here 'thought' he saw someone famous."

"The bunny cop?"

"Yeah." Said Rodney, the younger brother.

"You wanna tell me what he looks like? Maybe I can find him."

Marcus, the older brother, became excited. "Sure. Grey and white fur, black-tipped ears, purple eyes-"

"And it was a she." Rodney cut off.

"What?" The moose asked.

"It was a she. You said it was a he. It's a she." Marcus added. "We even have a picture."

"A picture you say?" The moose inquired.

"Yeah. Here, it's in my phone." The older brother replied, showing his phone and the picture on the screen.

Rasmoosen examined the picture carefully. "Just pushing my luck here, but any chance you know the name?"

"No, sir. We use to see her a sometimes on TV though." Marcus replied.

"And just a guess, was that about a year ago?" He replied while returning the phone.

"How did you know?" The younger brother asked.

"Yeah. Unless…" The older brother was again lit with excitement. "Do you know her!"

"No." He replied, though sounding a bit condescending. "I saw her on TV too." The moose winked.

"You're lying. You know her!" Marcus exclaimed.

"Nu-uh."

"Uh-huh!"

"Nu-uh."

"Uh-huh times one thousand!"

"Nu-uh times infinity."

"Marcus, we can't beat him. He said infinity."

"Aw, darn."

"Language, kid." Rasmoosen gave a light chuckle while putting his hoof over the older jaguar and ruffling the fur on his head.

"Officer! Wait!" An older female jaguar whom Rasmoosen assumed as the mother, followed by the father, approached them. "Marcus, Rodney. What are you doing outside? I thought both of you were inside the store."

"I hope our kids are in no trouble, officer." The father replied apologetically.

"What? These fine young boys here? You both are very lucky parents."

"Thank you, officer. It means a lot to us." The mother replied. "Marcus, Rodney, back to the car."

"But mom!" Both pouted.

"Now you young'ins run along to your ma' and pa'." He then removed something in his pocket, a sticker in the shape of a star that officers usually give. He then stuck it to Marcus' and Rodney's chests. "There, you guys are now junior officers."

"Yay!" The two boys immediately ran back to their parents' car.

The moose then looked back to both parents. "Travel safe, my friends. There's been a lot of happenings here lately."

The two parents appreciated the moose's concern. They gave their thanks before finally heading to their vehicle and heading out into Clearwater.

"You sure have a way with kids, Chief."

"Well I was a father at one point."

 _"Chief! Anyone there!"_

The radio chatter caught the attention of both cervine. The voice sounded a bit scattered, but easily recognizable to be Mike's.

"I should take that. It's probably important."

Carol only nodded as she went to attend to other things in the gas station. Rasmoosen entered the police car once more to answer the radio. "Chompson. This is the Chief."

The sound of screeching rubber forced Carol to turn the chief's vehicle, which sped out to the bridge in under ten seconds.

* * *

Carrots stared in to the moonless night sky while seated in a swing set. As to why Robert had one was beyond her, but she may as well use it. The swing set had a view overlooking the town. Its faintly glowing lights giving a scenic glow, but nothing could beat the view from the top. With the sky clear, she could see not only the thousands of stars that dotted the night, but also the primordial cloud of the very galaxy they reside. All this… while floating a pair of pebbles mid-air with her thoughts. Needless to say, she had a lot going on in her mind. Her encounter with the two cubs had caught her off-guard.

 _They know me?_ She thought.

But who was she? It was one of the many nagging questions in her mind.

 _"At the end of it all, she is just a weapon."_

Carrots shook her head. No, she knew enough that was not her. The real her.

"Carrots."

The bunny turned to the source of the voice, looking behind to her right to see Robert standing just before the swing. He made a courteous smile. "Mind if I join you?" He asked.

Carrots did not reply. She simply turned her head back to stare in the sky, her mood calm and content.

"I'll take that as a yes." Redford walked to the free seat beside her. Once he was seated, he looked above along with the bunny. "Sure is a beautiful night, isn't it?" He started.

"It is." She replied, silently staring in awe.

"It's the one of the many things that keeps me here. Out here, away from the town, the view is simply without compare." He stared back at the bunny, who seemed to still be preoccupied by the thousands of dots that littered the sky. He was happy that the bunny seemed to enjoy herself, forgetting all her worries and all. Still, he found it strange that a bunny was lifting his spirits. Then again, he was the kind of mammal that does not receive guests. The last time he had visitors was when-

It was then that his ears drooped down. He stood up from the slide and retreated to his home. The bunny could not help but notice his change in demeanor and followed him inside a few short minutes after. When she noticed the first floor to be empty, she continued her search on the second floor. She emerged to the familiar hallway and stopped just halfway when she heard with her sensitive ears the shower running. Robert was in the bathroom taking a shower. Seeing as it could take a while, she decided to wait for him downstairs. It was then that she realized a stairway that was not there before. It was a pull-up stair that headed toward the attic of the house. Curiosity got the better of her as she made her way up the stairs.

* * *

The double doors slam wide as two officers come inside the police station.

"I came here as soon as I can. Tell me what in the blazes happened?"

"I don't know, Chief. Antoine called for back-up. The next thing I know, I go into the diner and he's on the floor with a tranq dart on the sides of his head convulsing with Fig unconscious beside him." Mike explained.

They continue walking, passing by Bailey, the receptionist. "Uh… Chief?" who was preoccupied on the phone.

"Not now Barnes." He replied, his tone serious. "He's in the infirmary now?"

"Yes sir."

"Stable?"

"Yes sir."

"What about the evidence?"

"I've reviewed the footages sir, especially at Fig's. There's nothing much to go around, sir. Fig had a visitor before the camera went dead."

"You have a description?"

"Video is grainy, but… it was most definitely a cheetah."

"Good. Good. And the crime scene?"

"I've arranged a volunteer force to guard the area."

"Eh… close enough. We really need a bigger budget." They continue pacing right until finally arriving at the chief's office, the chief already rushing inside.

"Sir? Aren't we headed to the infirmary?" Mike asked, confused at the chief's priorities.

"He's stable, isn't he? Now, come on in. And lock the doors." Mike, though unsure, followed the order. He entered into the room and locked the doors just as he was told. He could see the chief scouring his cabinets for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"Lower your voice, Mike." The moose replied in a hushed tone. "I'm looking for a couple of files. Let's just say I had the most interesting conversation at the gas station."

"Did Carol propose?" The wolf replied in a lower voice.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that." The chief looked at his subordinate, who looked like he had not a clue of what was going on. The chief gave off a sigh as he tried to form an explanation. "About year ago, I received a notice from the city of Zootopia about a missing mammal. Mammal disappeared at one of the districts. I requested for a more detailed report. It was something I can never forget because it was one of the most fantastical reports I've ever read. Apparently, they had 'lost' one of their officers to a cheetah."

At the mention of that word, the wolf's ears flicked up to attention, staring at his superior with more interest.

"You see where I'm going with this. Anyway, the cheetah, along with his victim, simply vanished. Anyway, before I could do anything though, I received a second notice to cancel any pending search efforts." The chief explained while scouring through the drawer and checking file for file.

"Why sir?"

"Apparently, the body was found... by the 'state'." Rasmoosen continued searching but he could tell that Mike was catching on as his ears perked up at the coincidence. "Of course, seeing as there was nothing unusual going around here back then, and the case in Zootopia was handled like clockwork, there was no reason to be involved and I just put that aside. I never disseminated the information." He closed the drawer to open another one. "We really need to get computers."

"So wait a minute. You think this is like some sort of conspiracy." Mike mused.

"I'm not one to wear a tinfoil hat, but other forces are definitely at play here."

The sound of sifting through files finally stopped, pulling out a folder from the cabinet and on to the table. "Anyway, I kept the notice… for record-keeping of course." He opened the folder, which contained the two notices, one of which contained a photo. Rasmoosen picked up the photo and showed it to Mike, who's eyes seemed to widen ever so slightly. "So Mike, is it me or it looks like you've seen a ghost?"

Mike continued to looked at the photo. "No way."

* * *

Carrots had made her way up the attic. The room was dimly lit by a small incandescent light bulb located in the middle of the room, its dim glow filling in the room. There were dozens of boxes stacked vertically and towering over her. But a certain area in the attic piqued her interest. She could see pile that was already disturbed by someone's sifting. No doubt, Robert was here as she could smell his scent. She looked through the pile and noticed an open and unmarked maroon book on a small table. She slowly approached the table and looked into the contents of the book, revealing it to be a collection of portraits. It was a family album and there were always two foxes in the album. Judging by the amount of dust on the cover, Carrots could tell that the book was really old, but she could already tell regardless, seeing as one of the foxes in some of the photo bears resemblance to a younger version of Robert Redford. And the other fox would no doubt be his wife considering that they did have a son.

 _A son_ , she thought. There were only two foxes in the collection of photos, but Robert was not shy to tell her of his son. She instinctively flipped through pages of the album hoping to find a shred of evidence of the said fox's existence. And with one more flip of a page, she saw it, a sense of de ja vu returning to her. It was a fox cub, in his preteens. He wore the all too familiar junior ranger scout uniform. At the bottom-right corner a note.

Come home soon. -Nick

"Nick?" She read in a hushed tone.

 _And all I wanted to do was join the Junior Ranger Scouts_ …

She gripped her head and closed her eyes as a sudden splitting headache came after.

 _If the world's only gonna see a fox as shifty and untrustworthy, there's no point in trying to be anything else._

 _Nick, you're much more than this._

As she was having an episode, she was unaware of the visitor that had entered moments ago. "It… can't… be."

She immediately turned behind her to see Robert. There was a look of disbelief, yet behind those wide-eyes, she found sadness and pain that only a parent could understand. It had then occurred to her that she was able to telepathically broadcast a brief glimpse of her memory resurfacing, unintentional as it was. She finally spoke to him. "Did… you… see?"

At first, the question barely registered to the red fox, but a shallow nod was slowly forming with his head. "Is that…"

The bunny only nodded. "Robert…" The bunny started as she tried to form her words. "I thought it was just me… My… mind playing tricks. There was always something about you that I could never figure out." She added, holding the picture and offering the picture back to him. "I think… I know your son."

The one little glowing light inside the room faded. Their thoughts were immediately preoccupied with the new situation. Thankfully, Redford was able to see through the darkness, the rabbit not so much. "The power's out." The red fox replied.

"Robert."

The red fox noticed that the rabbit was now by the window. He made his way toward the rabbit, the rabbit pointing to a distant object outside. It was the gas station. While there was considerable distance to the building, it was the closest thing from the house, and how they were able to identify the building was due to the lights shining through. Redford then looked to the direction of the town of Clearwater. It too was well-lit. Somehow, they were the only ones that lost power.

Their ears then perked up at the faint sound of footsteps from below. But there was something else. "Robert." Carrots whispered as she could feel something more about the presence beneath them. It felt offensive and terrifyingly familiar, the same presence she felt back at the diner. "He's here."


	8. Head to Head

A/N: Again, another row of apologies for the late update. This chapter really took a lot of thought as I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, but I didn't have the meat of the details in. I wanted to be quick about this, but I ended up having to fill the details. At the end of everything, I think it came off a bit in a new direction. I've been thinking of drawing this story to a close. No, I'm not ending this prematurely, it's just I have this new fanfic idea. And when you've got a new idea, it's not a good idea to be bogged down with your current one or the other way around, not that I want to start it immediately either. Writing fanfics can be stressful at times, so I may give this some leeway. And if anyone wishes to help, feel free to PM me, though I'm. Anyway, real life has been very tiring. There are just times I just come home feeling sleepy at eight in the evening. Never happened before. I guess my age is finally catching up. I wish I was twenty again :P.

So this new direction will basically be shorter. And shorter means we can move faster, which should be a plus… assuming it doesn't take me another month.

* * *

Chapter 7: Head to Head

"Is he answering?" Mike asked, looking at the chief, who was on the phone.

After a few more seconds, the chief puts down the phone and shakes his head. "There's no dial tone."

* * *

The phone on the living room, busted from the bunny's earlier outburst, lay swinging slightly below from its mount. A dark figure trespasses in the living area. One stopped just in front of the steps leading upstairs. He had sensed the bunny's presence twice today, the first earlier in the morning, though he could tell she was close. It was only after his visit to the diner that his suspicions were confirmed, getting a second opinion from the store owner as he sifted through his mind. He must have over done himself as he eventually passed out, but at least he got what he needed. Unfortunately, he was interrupted by a visiting officer. The poor wolf did not know what hit him, as the cheetah played with his mind focusing himself unto him, subconsciously filling himself in the officer's head. Under his influence, the wolf lifted his tranquilizer gun and aimed it to the side of his skull and pulled the trigger. The rush of fluids penetrated straight to his head, making the effects immediate. Thankfully, he narrowly evaded capture, and now, he finds himself again too close to his target, thanks in part to the little broadcast she unwittingly gave. The bunny was, after all, profiled to be of high potential with such raw power within her. At least, that was what master says. He envied her for master was nothing but praises for her, even if he was unkind to her. And that was the point really, to push her. Imagine if given more training, she could easily exceed him, and that he did not. When he learned she had escaped, he wasted no time to make preparations for the hunt, but underneath the cold and never changing expression, he was glad to put her in her place.

He heard creaking coming from the upper floor. A smirk emerges from his face.

And so the hunt begins.

* * *

"Sir, I can't let you do this!" Mike rushed out following the chief, who was now heading to the car.

"There's no time. Redford could already be in danger. I need to go now. You can follow me after you've gathered enough volunteers." Rasmoosen replied as he got to the driver's seat of the police car.

"You'll be facing him alone, sir!"

"All the more reason for you to get going." He replied as he sped away the station and to Redford's, sirens blaring.

"Sir!" Mike called out until he was too far away. "That goddamn maniac."

* * *

The cheetah climbed to the second floor and scanned through the hallway. He noticed a couple of doors leading to rooms in the second floor. His eyes focused particularly on the master's bedroom to which he slowly walked just to the room entrance. The messy state of the room, broken light above, were reminiscent of Subject 11 after a trial but his suspicions were reinforced with the rabbit's scent. She had been holding up in here for the past few days. And he could tell, he was very close now. His luck seemingly improving upon hearing noise from upstairs. He only needed to find the small access that would lead him there, which he was able to spot with the faintly visible edges of the door. He pulled it downward, showing the flight of stairs on the back of the access.

The attic was quiet and unmoving. Aside from piles of boxes stacked and old furniture, there was not much around. And yet, the cheetah felt the rabbit's presence nearby. He continued scanning the room for any signs of movement or anything out of place, but the longer he stayed inside, the weaker her presence became. It was only when the cool wind of the night breezed through his fur that he realized what he overlooked. He sprinted to the window finding it was indeed open and a rope hanging by a nail on the window sill. The cheetah looked outward immediately spotting a red fox and the bunny heading through the woods.

Despite the head start of the hunt, there was barely any show of worry on his face. He closed his eyes, focusing on the fleeing targets. He still has a few tricks on his sleeve.

* * *

Carrots and the Redford hastily made their way in to the forest area just outside the red fox's property. By now, the intruder would have known that they were no longer in the house. And while the bunny tried her hardest to run, it was the red fox that was holding them back, stopping momentarily every so often to catch his breath.

"Sorry Carrots. I'm not as young as I used to be." Redford replied. He gripped his head with one paw. Shutting his eyes briefly, he felt the grip of the rabbit his other paw. She had a soft touch that was gentle. He looked to the owner of the hand, expecting to see the face of the bunny. But instead of seeing Carrots' face, he was met with another's. It was a young fox. He looked just as the day he left him.

"Are you okay?" The fox asked, except the voice did not match. It was female.

Shaking his head, the young fox disappeared, replaced instead by the doe.

"Are you okay?" The bunny asked, a hint of genuine concern in her voice.

There was a moment of pause as he stared at her out of confusion. He "Just a slight headache too. I can manage."

And with that, Redford led the bunny through the dense woodlands. They ran as fast as they could hoping to never feel even a glimpse. "The north road bypasses this forest. We can follow it to the next town." The fox replied, his paw still gripping the side of his head.

"Thank you, Robert." The bunny replied. "You've done all this for me."

The fox simply returned her words with a smile. It was cautious yet sincere. "Don't thank me now. We're literally not out of the woods just yet."

* * *

Rasmoosen's vehicle arrives at fox's property, already spotting something out of place. If not for the headlights of his car, the place would have been pitch black, which may be alright for a fox, but not for a moose such as himself. He raced toward the trunk grabbing a flashlight and something he never thought he would use.

* * *

The dense forest was beginning to slow the two down, Robert especially. It had suddenly occurred to him that his injuries were now beginning to catch up with him. He had endured several blows to his body, bruising around his neck and a cut on his foot, which after an hour of running, had managed to reopen. With only the faint glow of the stars and the sky, he noticed a dark blotch on the bandage wrapped around his foot. It seemed that he was wincing with every other step. There were slight shudders in his breath, something the bunny did not fail to notice.

"You're hurt." The bunny said.

"I'm fine, Carro-" Redford squinted when the bunny checked on his leg to find it wet.

"You're bleeding."

"No Carrots, I'm fine!" He stood up and continued to march on, ignoring the pain as best as he could.

Carrots made no argument. They continued, but this time at a slower pace. A hint of worry spread through her features as she had a foreboding of what would happen. It was then that they would march somewhere that would stop them dead in their tracks. There was a steep hill between them and the road. They could try and traverse the rough terrain, but not in Redford's condition. Still, he insisted that he could, but just as he tried to prove his point, a sharp headache pierced through his mind. He collapsed on the ground, still gripping his head.

"Robert!" The bunny yelled out.

It was unlike something he had ever experienced. It took all his concentration to focus, but it felt as if it was still not enough. He could barely move. Even as the bunny approached him, he could barely understand her garble as he himself mouthed unintelligible words.

The bunny kneeled over him, inspecting for anything that might be wrong with him. But a familiar feeling came from her gut, and instead of being directed at her, it was being directed at newly made her friend.

 _There is nothing you can do, subject 11. He is incapacitated._

It was not long before the cheetah emerged. And though it looked as if he is casually approaching them, it was clear to the bunny that his mental focus was on the fox. This was when she realized that they had been doomed from the moment they tried to flee. The cheetah had somehow managed to grab a hold of Robert telepathically. Carrots knew enough that this meant that he had his eyes and ears through the fox. She also knew that he was more capable than that.

 _Release him._ She telepathically said, concerned her friend would not endure the mental pain brought unto him.

 _Not yet._ The cheetah released an even more powerful psychic wave, causing the fox to whimper in agony. It continued on until eventually the pain ceased altogether. The cheetah had stopped unleashing his wrath on him. But relief turned to worry when the fox realized he could not find it in himself to move properly. He was unable to move coherently, as if his mind turned to jello. Robert could barely look at his attacker, who now seemed to struggle, evident with the fact that he was now gripping his head. Though his head was still fuzzy, he heard what appeared to be labored breathing and it was apparent to him that, somehow, the bunny was trying to save his life.

Carrots tried her very best to keep the pressure, unleashing her own telepathy over the predator. Her opponent, not willing to let himself be lowered to her challenge, countered back. Inspite of her attacks, he found them to be quite manageable, thus exerting not much of a mental effort on his part.

The two held their ground firm, but one was finally beginning to cave. The bunny was giving her all to keep him at bay, but there were signs that she could not sustain soon. Blood started dripping out of her nasal cavity. Still, she held her place, putting up a brave face. Still, the cheetah could see through her act and he knew it was only a matter of time until she buckled under his telepathic abilities.

 _You may have raw power, subject 11, but I have the discipline to overcome._

The cheetah gripped his head though, but was less paralyzed to move toward the bunny, increasing the strength of his attack while approaching her proximity.

Carrots was starting to lose her grip as she her knees finally fell down. As the pressure mounted, she closed her eyes, giving her hundred percent and focusing her everything on trying to resist. Deep down though, she knew it was over. She could no longer feel her extremities. But even at this dire situation, she was never going to give up, especially now that she knew that there was life out of the prison they kept her. Even if she did not know much about it, it was still worth fighting for.

"Nice try, bunny, but I'm not falling for that again."

Judy suddenly opened her eyes, seeing for the first time not a cheetah, but a red fox staring approaching her. He was young, probably in his early teens, and approaching him with the apparent intent to hurt her. He managed a swipe at her as she fell to the ground, pinned down by the other fox with his paw. "Nice try, bunny, but I'm not falling for that again."

Carrots tried to resist, but deep down, this seemed all too familiar to her, like a distant memory coming back to her. She closed her eyes, trying to drown out the voice of the provocative fox.

"No use cryin' for help now. You gonna git what you deserve!"

She took deep and steady breaths. Finally, she opened her eyes, which glowed with fiery resolve as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

 _What the-_

The cheetah was caught off guard by the surge of telekinetic energy that radiated from her. The force was so strong, that it pushed the cheetah flying a few dozen feet away, impacting the ground with such force.

Robert, already beaten by the psychic attack earlier, had to endure another psychic attack that seemed even worse than prior. Such was the case that it seemed that he was lucid, which seemed like a side-effect of this telekinetic blast.

After a while, however, the rabbit's release died down and evaporated. Her muzzle was covered in blood now, seeing as she had been spent. And after the last bits of her energy, she collapsed to the ground.

The forest surrounding them died down and silence was maintained for a good ten to fifteen minutes until it was disturbed with the slight movements Redford was making. He struggled as he approached the form of the unconscious bunny just a few feet from her. As he discovered, it would seem that he has lost the ability to walk. Hopefully, it would be temporary.

"Currr…."

Great, his speech is also impaired it seems, but that did not matter now. He continued crawling until he was just beside her, tugging her in the hopes of waking her. But the sound of breaking twigs and rustling of fallen leaves immediately startled him, looking at the direction where it came. His features suddenly looked grim as he noticed the cheetah, who while limping and was clearly using the trees to support him, approached them like a shark slowly approaching its prey.

"Yuusduuurrr…" The fox slurred, his voice lacking energy.

BANG!

Redford was startled. The next thing he knew, the cheetah stopped dead in his tracks, falling down to his knees, before collapsing entirely. The fox took a deep long breath of relief. Redford was then greeted by a bright flash of light, immediately causing a glare that caused his sensitive eyes to sting.

"Welcome to Clearwater!" Rasmoosen reloaded his shotgun, a double-barrel type that he used for range-practice. He approached the two mammals lying on the ground.

Robert watched with relief as the moose approached him.

"You don't look so good, Red."

"luuuuuuhh…. ."

"Nice to see you too." Rasmoosen replied, looking at the fox and turning towards the unconscious female bunny before turning back to the fox. "Hospital?"

* * *

The next thing Robert knew, he woke up in the white room lying in a bed before a CRT television left on for a nurse ewe who enjoyed the ambient noise while attending for the equipment. A grunt from the fox though immediately broke her attention.

"Goodness me, you're finally awake."

It was a few minutes after the nurse left when Chief Rasmoosen approached him. "Thank my lucky stars you're still kickin'."

Redford tried to open his mouth to speak before Rasmoosen lifted a hoof before him. "Don't push yourself now. You've just woken up." He replied. The fox complied and began to make himself comfortable looking around the room and perhaps for any sign of the bunny as well, something the moose was quick to pick up. "You're in Lambley General Clinic. As for your friend, she's in the next room." The moose pointed at the wall behind him. The fox seemed stared at the general direction and it was clear to Rasmoosen what the fox wanted. "You want to see her?"

…

The next few minutes or so involved a few attendants setting up a wheelchair for Robert to use. Robert could still not find it in him to walk. They had obtained a spare at a nearby closet and once it was propped up, they lifted the fox and rested him on it. And while they were prepping him up, old Ras continued his one-sided conversation with him, informing him that a volunteer force rallied by his good friend Mike had come to their aid and somehow they had gotten the perp. He became a little unsettled though when he mentioned that he was also taken to the same clinic for treatment.

"It's alright, Red. It's over. He's not going anywhere near you two." Rasmoosen replied as he began to roll the wheelchair with the fox on it, dismissing the attendants but thanking them anyway for the offer.

Just as they left the room, he began detailing the situation. From what he gathered, Carrots, along with the injured assailant, was the reason why Rasmoosen had them rushed to Lambley. Considering Clearwater had an understaffed and underfunded clinic, which just so happened to be sharing the same office space as the police station, it was a literal no-brainer. And with the amount of blood on the doe's muzzle, it seemed like she needed medical attention immediately. Though it was clear now that she was already out of danger and that she was recovering quite nicely. They had treated her for epistaxis, which apparently was just a fancy word for a nosebleed. Other than that, she seemed to be fine. But for good measure, they had taken a CT scan of her head for any signs of a hemorrhage. They did note however that she manifested similar symptoms as him when she was admitted.

"So apparently, we know the identity of little Miss Jane Doe over there." A flick of Robert's ear was all he needed to know that he was indeed curious. Why wouldn't he afterall? After everything he had gone through, knowing who she was was something he just needed to know. "Her name is Judith Laverne Hopps, officer of the ZPD, Precinct 1. About a year ago, she and her partner were chasing a suspect when she disappeared. We actually have a record of a notice in reference to that. I've asked for more detailed profile from the ZPD. Of course, they had to ask why, and so I told them." Rasmoosen continued pushing the wheelchair to their intended destination. "They've asked for an audience. Naturally, I told them to hold off until both of you are in better condition." They stop just before the door. "Oh and one more thing. Just to show you how bizarrely coincidental this whole thing is, her partner… is Nicholas Piberius Wilde." It took a moment to register, and although he had already known about the bunny known as 'Judith' had links to his son, such straightforward and directness gave him a confirmation that was unlike anything. His son, a cop, her partner. Regardless, Robert looked at the moose as though he was still confused. Everything was just moving so fast. "Yeah, I reckon you can connect the dots." He finished.

He opened the door and pushed the fox all the way until he was beside the bed. The room was pretty much identical to his. In fact, they were probably lucky the clinic had two spare rooms available. It was just a clinic after all.

"I suppose I can leave you two alone. Gotta take care of something."

Redford gave the chief a reassuring smile to which the chief nodded and left. They were now alone. His focus shifted immediately to the bunny who lay asleep on the bed. Speaking of which, now that he knew her name, should he still call her Carrots. Did the chief even tell her? He tried opening his mouth.

"C-Carrots." He stuttered, though he was ultimately relieved that his words did not end up slurred. If anything, he seemed more confident to talk now. "We made it."

She did not stir and her silence made him a bit worried. She must have been really tired, especially with what she did. "So… the chief told me who you are… I mean the real you. A frickin' cop, life certainly has a way of making things so… strange." He said softly, though in his mind at least, if she was listening, her ears could easily pick them up. He looked down, deep in thought. "You know, back when you went… I don't know, completely nuts…" A short chuckle escaped his muzzle. "I saw my son. It felt real…. I didn't understand it at first, but chief has a nasty habit of confirming my suspicions. They were brief flashes. I was mostly with him, and yet he looked so very different. He was older. And he always either wore that green shirt or that blue uniform. I couldn't explain it, like it was as if time stopped and I was catching up with him, like really knowing him for the first time… but then it hit me… those were your memories."

He took a deep breath. She must be too deep in medication. Redford paused whatever he wanted to say. Maybe it was just better to give her time to rest. If the doctors were to be believed, he would be able to talk to her later. He was still tired after all. His head, though much better, still throbbed. It had been only hours since what happened, but at least he was at ease.

"I-I rememb-ber."

The fox quickly raised his head, looking at the bunny, whose eyes were half-lidded, but awake. She gave out a weak smile, which brought a sense of relief to the red fox.

"My head hurts." She complained.

Redford could not help but burst out laughing, a weak one at that. His sides still ached. "I can beat that." He gestured to himself, showing that his everything hurt. The bunny, in response, just gave a weak chuckle.

…

From the small glass window of the door, Chief Rasmoosen could see Redford and the bunny talking to each other while he leaned on a wall near the receptionist area facing the room. This was always what made the job worth it, he said to himself. Meanwhile, there was a hint of someone walking towards him.

"How is he?" The moose asked, eyes still facing the room of the doe.

"Antoine's been in and out, sir. He's still a little hazy from the dart, but he'll be alright otherwise. He's a tough pup. Margaret is also assisting in caring for him as of the moment." Mike began to look where the chief is looking. "So, I guess this is it, huh? We saved'em and caught the bad guy. You must be feeling really good now."

"I don't know, Chompson. Some things still don't add up. We still have the missing bodies. I briefly visited the morgue. Not a single record of a Sam or Will Hunter nor any record of the State ever making a visit. And then we have her." He pointed a hoof toward the bunny in the room.

"I don't understand why someone would go through all the trouble of abducting a cop, of all people." Mike replied.

"It's not just that, Chompson. If she is a cop, why didn't she immediately report to the ZPD instead of hanging around with a fox? She's definitely central to all this… and now that we have her, we'll find out soon enough. We darn can't have the press know she's alive yet, not unless we want to get a call from the state, but I wouldn't be surprised if they already know. I've asked Lambley PD to support us here. And with the help of the ZPD soon, they might just back-off."

There was a brief pause before the moose made a slight grin. "So yeah, I'm feeling pretty good."

"Looks like you've got it all figured out, chief." The wolf replied, chuckling at the words of his boss.

"Hope so. Don't want to hold my breath just yet."

It was then that Rasmoosen noticed the buzz coming from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and briefly browsed the screen to see the caller. He slid his hoof on the phone's screen before placing it beside his ear. "What've you got for me?"

Mike looked at the chief, though with the nods he was making, the conversation seems to be going rather well.

"Thanks for letting me know." He ended the phone call, continuing to check on his phone, while noticing the curious stare the wolf was making. "That was Bailey. She tried to contact us on the radio, but considering we're in Lambley. Anyway, it was the file I wanted her to pick up earlier."

"What is it?"

"You'll know soon enou- Son of a gun!"

"What is it, chief?" Mike asked startled, as his superior handed to him his phone. Rasmoosen immediately walked toward the receptionist and asked her to open the television and change it to the news.

Mike stared at a Rasmoosen's furbook profile with a post of a young jaguar by the name of Marcus Nightcrawler with a photo of…

"Bunny cop?" The wolf looked to see that the post had already gathered more than two thousand shares.

The receptionist finally turned on the television and switching it to ZNN.

Everyone watched in complete disbelief, unable to utter a word until finally, the wolf officer spoke.

"Well..." Mike started. "This is gonna be a long day."

* * *

A/N: And there you have it. I hope this chapter was good enough to fill the more than one month gap. I'm hoping I can release the next chapter sooner as it's something I've been wanting to write. Finally, we'll know what's going on on the other side :D.

And also a trivia, the town of Clearwater is based on video game of a town with the same name. In fact, the layout of the map is pretty much identical to the in-game map. And so, if you guys want to explore the town of Clearwater, from the lumber mill, to the dam, to the town center, to south town and, 'Redford's' isolated home, check out the game World in Conflict. If you've played through the campaign or watched it on youtube, you may notice some other things that I've referenced from there.


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